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MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company Subsidiary Among Finalists for U.S. State Department Award

Posted on: Wednesday, 31 October 2007, 15:00 CDT

CalEnergy International, a subsidiary of MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company, has been selected as a finalist for the U.S. Secretary of State's Award for Corporate Excellence.

CalEnergy is one of nine U. S. companies chosen for the State Department honor. A record number of 64 nominations were submitted by embassy personnel this year. Awards will be presented Nov. 6 at a Washington, D.C., ceremony.

"We are exceptionally proud of the projects CalEnergy has been involved with to help the Philippine people lead better lives," said Greg Abel, president of MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company. "CalEnergy and MidAmerican believe strongly in being good corporate citizens in the communities we serve, and the programs implemented in the Philippines are excellent examples of that commitment."

The nomination notes CalEnergy's involvement in providing educational opportunities to young adults, in demonstrating environmental stewardship and in developing infrastructure projects in the Philippines. Over the past several years, CalEnergy has implemented a scholarship and book donation program for Philippine students, and CalEnergy employees have led efforts to replenish the Casecnan watershed on the island of Luzon. In addition, the company has built classrooms and created an electricity network to bring power to villagers who, in some cases, have never had electricity in their homes before.

Several years ago, CalEnergy developed three geothermal plants in the Philippines as part of the country's Build-Operate-Transfer initiative. In June 2006, ownership of the first of the plants was successfully transferred to the Philippine government. Ownership of the second and third plants was transitioned last July.

On Luzon, CalEnergy continues to own and operate the Casecnan Multipurpose Irrigation and Power Project, a combined hydroelectric and irrigation facility, which diverts excess water from the Casecnan and Taan rivers through a 26-kilometer tunnel to a generating plant. The water will irrigate more than 130,000 hectares of rice fields.

In addition to generating 150 megawatts from its hydroelectric plant, the Casecnan facility feeds water to two other hydroelectric plants.

Established in 1999 by the U.S. State Department, the Award for Corporate Excellence recognizes the importance of good corporate citizenship demonstrated abroad by U.S. companies.

MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company, based in Des Moines, Iowa, is a global provider of energy services. Through its energy-related business platforms -- PacifiCorp, MidAmerican Energy Company, CE Electric UK, Kern River Gas Transmission Company, Northern Natural Gas Company and CalEnergy -- MidAmerican provides electric and natural gas service to more than 6.9 million customers worldwide. Information on MidAmerican is available on the Internet at www.midamerican.com.

Source: Business Wire

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