OG&E commissioned two new natural gas-fired units at Tinker Air Force Base, marking the latest expansion of a decades-long energy partnership and adding 96 megawatts of capacity to serve both the base and the growing Oklahoma City metro.
“This is a big deal,” said Sean Trauschke, CEO and chairman of OGE Energy Corp. “We’re getting ready to commission two new units out here at Tinker Air Force Base. This is one of the unique military installations in the country that have this type of resiliency, and we’re really proud of the partnership.”
The project—located near OG&E’s largest load center in the metro—was delivered on time and under budget, according to the company. OG&E says the additional capacity can power roughly 34,000 homes, strengthen overall grid performance, and be brought online quickly to meet peak demand.
Supports economic and population growth
Trauschke said the plant also positions OG&E to continue supporting regional population expansion and major commercial projects.
“These assets are gonna serve a lot of the new customers that come into our service territory,” he said. “We’ve added 40–50,000 new people to the system in just the last handful of years.”
He added that Oklahoma’s electricity rates remain “in the bottom three in the country.”
Critical to Tinker’s mission expansion
Tinker leaders emphasized the facility’s national security role, calling it a direct investment in the 2026 National Defense Strategy.
“This plant is a direct implementation of the 2026 National Defense Strategy,” said Col. Cisco Harris, commander of the 72nd Air Base Wing. “In any contingency, Tinker’s no-fail missions can sustain independent operations.”
Harris highlighted Tinker’s long-term growth, including $11 billion in projected construction over the next decade and the arrival of the B‑21 Raider depot workload. The plant supports “energy assurance” by enabling the base to maintain power during broader grid disruptions.
Federal delegation highlights economic impact
U.S. Rep. Tom Cole (OK‑4) praised the project and OG&E’s long-standing work with the installation.
“OG&E has been an incredible partner for Tinker Air Force Base, an incredible driver for our economy for decades,” Cole said. “There’s never any doubt about their commitment.”
Cole noted that Tinker remains the state’s largest single-site employer and a cornerstone of Oklahoma’s aerospace sector.
Decades-long partnership
OG&E first placed generation assets on the base in the mid‑1980s, creating one of the few U.S. military installations with both on-site generation and full interconnectivity to the broader grid—a feature officials repeatedly described as rare and strategically significant.
Trauschke said the newly commissioned site includes room for future expansion.
“We weren’t thinking about satisfying today’s needs—we were thinking about satisfying tomorrow’s needs,” he said.
After brief remarks, OG&E and Tinker officials cut the ribbon and distributed commemorative challenge coins marking the commissioning.
