Global Wind Energy Leader IBERDROLA Announces Power Purchase Agreement for First U.S. Wind Project
Posted on: Wednesday, 27 September 2006, 15:01 CDT
WAYNE, Pa., Sept. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- IBERDROLA, the world's largest owner and operator of renewable energy projects, announced a power purchase agreement today with the energy marketing subsidiary of PPL Corporation of Allentown , for the first IBERDROLA wind project in the United States. The contract is for sale of wind energy from the new Locust Ridge Wind Farm, currently under construction in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030422/PHTU078LOGO )
The Locust Ridge project will be located in Mahanoy City, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, and is expected to have a capability, when running to maximum capacity, to produce 26 megawatts of electricity, which is enough electricity to power over 20,000 homes. The 13 modern wind turbines on the site will stand close to 400 feet tall and generate clean, renewable electricity. Compared to the average generation mix in the regional electric grid, the environmental benefit of the project is equal to an offset of over 74 million pounds of carbon dioxide, the equivalent of planting over five million trees, or removing over 5,000 cars from the road each year.
The Locust Ridge Wind Farm is the first U.S. project to be built by IBERDROLA and the first power purchase agreement to be signed in the U.S. by IBERDROLA, which has 4,004 megawatts of renewable capacity worldwide at the end of the first half of 2006.
IBERDROLA, through its U.S. subsidiary, renewable energy marketer and developer Community Energy, Inc., has signed an agreement with PPL EnergyPlus for energy, capacity and renewable attributes from the Locust Ridge Wind Farm Project for 20 years once the project achieves commercial operation, which is expected to occur in the first quarter of 2007.
Brent Alderfer, executive vice president of Community Energy, said, "It's exciting to work with a wind energy leader like PPL building upon the success of the Bear Creek Wind Farm. IBERDROLA's decision to enter the U.S. market in Pennsylvania by acquiring Community Energy and building the Locust Ridge project is an investment that will benefit all Pennsylvanians." The 24-megawatt Bear Creek project, in operation since early 2006 and located near the Pennsylvania Turnpike just south of Wilkes-Barre, PA, was also developed by Community Energy with the output delivered to PPL.
Clarence J. Hopf, Jr., president of PPL EnergyPlus, said, "PPL is increasing the amount of renewable energy in its generation portfolio, and the Locust Ridge agreement represents an attractive addition to PPL's portfolio." Hopf said that about 10 percent of the energy PPL markets comes from renewable sources such as wind power, hydroelectric generation, solar, fuel cells and landfill methane gas generation.
"This agreement with Locust Ridge furthers PPL's commitment to providing energy responsibly and balancing the need for affordable, reliable power with environmental concerns," Hopf said.
IBERDROLA plans to install 6,200 MW of wind power by 2008 and 10,000 MW by 2011. An effort to achieve these goals has led to international expansion and new offices in Birmingham (United Kingdom), Rennes and Paris (France), Rome (Italy), Berlin (Germany), Warsaw (Poland) and the United States, with offices already established in Greece, Portugal, Mexico and Brazil.
In addition to the acquisition of CEI, IBERDROLA has closed on several significant international operations in 2006: the purchase of the French company Perfect Wind, with a project portfolio of 600 MW; the signing of a framework agreement with the City Council of Bayannaoer (northern China) to seek locations in which to install 1,000 MW of wind power; and acquiring its first two wind farms in the United Kingdom.
Community Energy, Inc. (CEI) is a marketer and developer of wind energy generation founded in 1999 and headquartered in Wayne, Pennsylvania. CEI is a wholly owned subsidiary of IBERDROLA -- the largest owner and operator of renewable energy facilities in the world. CEI has more than 3 billion kilowatt-hours of wind energy sales, 100,000 residential customers and marketing arrangements with 18 investor-owned and municipal utilities. CEI developed and jointly owns the Jersey-Atlantic Wind Farm and the Bear Creek Wind Farm, and has wind projects under development in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwestern and Rocky Mountain states. http://www.communityenergy.biz/
Note to Editors: High resolution photos of wind turbines are also available from Community Energy, Inc.
Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030422/PHTU078LOGOAP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/PRN Photo Desk photodesk@prnewswire.com
Community Energy, Inc.
CONTACT: Brent Alderfer, Community Energy, Inc., +1-215-353-1373
Web site: http://www.communityenergy.biz/
Source: PRNewswire
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