GreenMountain.com to Develop Pennsylvania's First Wind Farm
Retail Energy Provider Strikes Deal to Build the Largest Wind Farm in East
SOUTH BURLINGTON, VT — June 17, 1999 — GreenMountain.com, the nation's leading marketer of cleaner electricity for residential customers through its Green Mountain EnergySM brand, today announced plans to build the largest wind facility in the eastern United States. The 10-megawatt (MW) "wind farm" will be located in southwestern Pennsylvania. Construction of the facility is scheduled to begin in September, with completion targeted for January of 2000. Electricity generated from the site will serve Green Mountain EnergySM customers in the Keystone State.
"Earlier this year, we told our customers that choosing cleaner electricity would make a difference in the environment," says Dennis Kelly, GreenMountain.com's president and chief operating officer. "This wind farm, the first in the state and the largest in the region, is proof positive that GreenMountain.com is bringing cleaner sources of energy to Pennsylvania." The wind farm is the result of a three-party agreement among GreenMountain.com, Distributed Generation Systems, Inc. (Disgen), and American National Wind Power (ANWP).
American National Wind Power, Inc., an affiliate of National Wind Power of the United Kingdom and American National Power of Houston, Texas, will build, own and operate the wind farm, which will consist of 10 to 15 large, three-bladed wind turbines on tubular towers. The final wind turbine specifications are pending manufacturer selection. Each wind turbine will generate between 600 kilowatts (kW) and 1,000 kW of electricity and have blade diameters of approximately 165 feet. "American National Wind Power is delighted to be working with GreenMountain.com to provide the renewable energy that Pennsylvanians clearly desire," says David Butterworth, head of international business development for American National Wind Power.
Disgen, the Colorado developer that rounds out the three-party agreement, has worked with GreenMountain.com since late 1998 to perform economic analysis and to develop and secure several possible locations for the wind farm in southwestern Pennsylvania. "This joint development effort establishes a new and unprecedented development process resulting in shorter cycle times and lower costs than normal. Both GreenMountain.com and American National Wind Power should be congratulated and commended for their commitments to this process," said Dale Osborn, principal and president of Disgen.
Finalization of the preferred location for the wind farm will take place within the next 30 days, with the submission of applications for building permits and the completion of initial environmental studies. ANWP and its development partner, Orion Energy LLC, will assist Disgen in developing the wind farm. With construction slated to begin in September, commercial operation should commence in the first quarter of 2000.
GreenMountain.com will purchase the energy from the wind farm under an agreement with ANWP. GreenMountain.com projects the turbines will produce up to 25,000 MWh (megawatt hours) annually — enough to power 2,500 average Pennsylvania households. Put into an environmental perspective, each turbine displaces 1,200 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year — the equivalent of an automobile driving three million miles — based on the average electricity mix that serves Pennsylvania. Making electricity is the number one cause of industrial air pollution in the United States today, and carbon dioxide is a so-called greenhouse gas, a cause of global warming.
"GreenMountain.com is extremely proud to be part of this agreement to build the largest electricity-producing wind facility in the east, and applauds ANWP for stepping up to own and operate this significant renewable energy project," continued Kelly. "This wind farm will let us ring in the new millennium with a new and cleaner source of power for Pennsylvanians."
GreenMountain.com will include electricity from the wind farm in its current Pennsylvania Green Mountain EnergySM power blends (Eco SmartSM, Enviro BlendSM, and Nature's ChoiceSM) in early 2000. Green Mountain EnergySM power blends feature renewable generation sources that are far cleaner than the Pennsylvania system average.
Green Mountain EnergySM became available in the deregulated Pennsylvania utility market in January 1999.
GreenMountain.com is building a "green" Internet portal offering online access to environment-related content and a selection of "green" products. The company recently announced the establishment of strategic agreements with Autobytel.com, First USA, Green Travel Network, and SocialFunds.com to feature their content, products and services on the company's Web site. These agreements follow GreenMountain.com's previous agreement with Yahoo! to become their premier consumer energy merchant. "Green" or "environmentally preferred" products, as those terms are used by GreenMountain.com, are those products that have a less harmful effect on the environment than other products having the same or a similar use.
About GreenMountain.com
GreenMountain.com offers products and services online for environmentally concerned consumers, including Green Mountain EnergySM, the leading retail brand of electricity featuring renewable generation sources to residential customers. Green Mountain EnergySM is currently available in Pennsylvania and California. For more information on GreenMountain.com, visit the Company's Web site at www.greenmountain.com or call 1-888-246-6730.
About American National Wind Power, Inc.
American National Wind Power, Inc. (ANWP) and its affiliate National Wind Power Ltd. (NWP) are the largest developers, owners, and operators of wind farms in the United Kingdom, with over 140 megawatts (MW) currently in operation. ANWP is also completing construction of a 30 MW wind farm in Texas. ANWP jointly develops wind energy facilities in the United States with Orion Energy LLC of Oakland, California. For information regarding American National Wind Power, Inc., contact David Butterworth in the U.K. at 011-44-1628-532-300. For information regarding Orion Energy LLC, contact Michael Haas at 510-267-9325.
About Distributed Generation Systems, Inc.
Distributed Generation Systems, Inc.(Disgen) was founded in Evergreen, Colorado in early 1996. Its Principal and President, Dale Osborn, has led the development of over 175 MW of wind energy projects worldwide, including the world's largest dedicated green pricing project in Colorado. Disgen specializes in low-cost, low-risk development of energy projects with short cycle time. Disgen may be contacted by phone at 303-674-2551, or by e-mail at Daleosb@msn.com.
(Editor's Note: GreenMountain.com and its Green Mountain EnergySM brand are not affiliated with Green Mountain Power Corporation.)
GreenMountain.com Contact: The Weber Group, Pauline O'Keeffe, (617) 520-7085 or Joseph D'Eramo, (617) 520-7018
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