Regulators in the state of West Virginia have shot down a request by utility giant American Electric Power (AEP) to buy two wind projects totaling 225MW, highlighting ongoing scepticism of wind in some parts of the US even as the production tax credit (PTC) phases down.
Appalachian Power, one of seven regulated utilities owned by AEP, filed a petition last year with the West Virginia Public Service Commission to buy two wind projects from developer Invenergy after they reach completion – the 175MW Hardin project in Ohio and the 50MW Beech Ridge II in West Virginia.
