SHREVEPORT, La. (June 5, 2026) — Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO) customers will benefit from funding announced Thursday from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) grant program. The announced $29.8 million award will support necessary, targeted upgrades at SWEPCO’s Flint Creek Power Plant (Flint Creek) in Gentry, Arkansas.
For SWEPCO customers, this investment is designed to deliver reliable, cost-effective energy while improving the efficiency of an existing facility that continues to serve more than 558,000 customers across Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas.
“These programs provide real, tangible benefits for our customers,” said SWEPCO President and COO Brett Mattison. “We’re pleased the DOE selected SWEPCO for this support. By leveraging federal funding, we’re able to make critical investments in reliability and efficiency while helping avoid nearly $30 million in costs that would otherwise impact the communities we serve.”
Flint Creek continues to serve as a reliable generation resource within SWEPCO’s diverse fleet, supporting system stability and meeting customer demand in Arkansas and across the region.
This $74 million project will take approximately 39 months and focuses on key upgrades to make Flint Creek more reliable, efficient, and better prepared to meet growing customer energy needs:
- Increase power output: Turbine improvements will add more electricity to the grid without building new generation, helping meet demand in a growing region.
- Strengthen efficiency: Upgrades will increase megawatt output by improving turbine efficiency
- Replace aging equipment: Modern components will improve operational safety and extend the life of existing infrastructure – avoiding higher-cost replacements.
- Modernize electrical systems: Advanced equipment will reduce outage risk and improve system reliability, especially during periods of high demand or extreme weather.
“For our customers, reliability isn’t optional - it’s essential,” Mattison said. “Dispatchable resources like Flint Creek provide electricity on demand, regardless of weather conditions. That capability is especially important during extreme heat, cold snaps and peak usage periods when energy needs are highest.”
The remaining project expenses will be shared jointly by SWEPCO and the co-owner of the Flint Creek Power Plant.
Across SWEPCO and its parent company, American Electric Power (AEP), teams are actively working to secure federal funding to reduce customer costs while investing in grid reliability and resilience. Including this award, AEP has secured approximately $391 million in federal grants and a $1.6 billion federal loan to support transmission improvements and grid modernization efforts. On Wednesday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott shared SWEPCO customers would benefit from a $200 million grant from the Texas Energy Fund.
“The DOE award supports upgrades at Flint Creek that will increase megawatt output without increasing environmental emissions. This is an important step as SWEPCO continues to balance affordability, reliability, and environmental responsibility,” said AEP’s Scott Osterholt, VP of Grants & Loan Programs.