Buckeye Power’s partnership with AEP has been central to our work and business planning. As things change, our companies need to evolve to meet the needs of the future.
Buckeye Power has been the generation and transmission supplier to Ohio’s electric cooperatives since 1968, producing electricity from power plants and delivering it across the high-voltage transmission network (or “grid”) to each of those 24 electric cooperatives. Throughout this long history, American Electric Power (AEP) has been a partner to Buckeye Power in the generation of electricity — first only at Cardinal Power Plant, but adding more facilities as time went on. It has been a unique and mutually beneficial partnership for over 50 years, lasting through advances in technology, ups and downs of the economy, and nearly constant evolution of laws and regulations.
Recently, though, Buckeye Power and AEP agreed to wind down our partnership at Cardinal. AEP has already largely exited the power generation business in Ohio, meaning other producers now supply generation service to AEP’s Ohio customers. We plan to continue working together through 2028, with Buckeye Power supplying a portion of the output from Cardinal to AEP during that time. Buckeye plans to continue operations at the Cardinal plant at a reduced level after that.
It is a bittersweet milestone for me. I’ve been at Buckeye Power for about 20 years now, and the partnership with AEP has been central to our work and our business planning. However, as things change, our companies need to evolve to meet the needs of the future. I know this is the right step for both organizations, and I look forward to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for Buckeye Power and Cardinal. AEP will continue to supply transmission and power delivery services to Buckeye Power after our Cardinal plant partnership winds down.
On behalf of Buckeye Power and Ohio’s electric cooperatives, I would like to personally thank the many leaders at AEP who helped us forge and sustain a successful partnership over the many decades. Both organizations have a bright future ahead — they will just be along different paths.
