AEP subsidiary to buy wind power in Ill.

COLUMBUS (AP) — A subsidiary of American Electric Power has signed a 20-year agreement to purchase power from a wind farm under construction in Illinois.

Appalachian Power will buy 75 megawatts from the 150-megawatt Camp Grove Wind Farm as part of an attempt by parent company AEP to add 1,000 megawatts of new wind energy by 2011. Camp Grove Wind Farm LLC is majority owned by Orion Energy Group LLC. The agreement is subject to approval from the Public Service Commission of West Virginia.

The bulk of AEP’s energy — 73 percent — comes from coal, while 3 percent is generated from wind and water. The company’s chief executive said it is trying to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, which come in large part from burning fossil fuels to produce electricity.

Columbus-based AEP delivers power to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. Appalachian Power serves about 1 million of those customers in West Virginia, Virginia and Tennessee.