Press Releases
10/31/2019
FPL Energy and PPM Energy Dedicate Largest Wind Farm in California
FPL Energy and PPM Energy Dedicate Largest Wind Farm in California
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September 18, 2003
RIO VISTA, CA - FPL Energy, LLC, a subsidiary of FPL Group (NYSE: FPL) and PPM Energy, Inc. (PPM), ScottishPower's (NYSE: SPI) competitive US energy business today joined about 150 guests near Rio Vista to dedicate FPL Energy's High Winds Energy Center located along the Montezuma Hills in Solano County, California.
California State Senator Byron Sher, California Energy Commission Executive Director Robert Therkelsen and California ISO Vice President Randy Abernathy joined FPL Energy's Senior Vice President of Development Michael O'Sullivan and PPM Energy Chief Executive Officer Terry Hudgens and more than 150 local and regional guests to celebrate the commercial operation of the High Winds Energy Center and the organizations that helped bring the facility to California.
"California is committed to 20 percent of its electricity being generated from renewable energy by 2010," said Therkelsen. "We have installed more than 1,800 megawatts from wind power and by adding improved technology at wind farms like this one, we will easily meet our goal."
O'Sullivan remarked, "The High Winds Energy Center is much more than just the largest wind farm in California. It's a demonstration of how, when people bring their skills, knowledge and commitment together, something good can happen. A lot of people worked on this project and the result is a facility of which we can all be proud."
"California transmission and market rules give wind energy the opportunity to compete on a fair basis with other resources and PPM would like to see other regions adopt similar transmission rules that help us bring cost-competitive, reliable, clean wind power to the market, " said Hudgens. "California customers have responded well and PPM plans to continue to grow its renewable presence in California."
FPL Energy's High Winds Energy Center will be capable of generating enough electricity to power nearly 75,000 homes. Construction of the initial 81 wind turbines at the wind farm, each more than 198 feet tall to the center of the blade hub, began late in 2002. The initial 81 turbines began commercial operation in September 2003. The company expects to complete a previously announced expansion of the facility by the end of the year. The 162-megawatt facility is owned and operated by FPL Energy. PPM Energy purchases all of the output from the facility under a long-term contract and markets the output to wholesale customers including the cities of Sacramento, Pasadena, Anaheim, Glendale, Azusa, Colton and others.
Also at the dedication, American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) Policy Director Jim Caldwell presented state Sen. Byron Sher with the American Wind Energy Association Special Achievement Award, "for providing the legislative leadership that will result in substantial amounts of new clean energy serving the state of California."
Passage of a significant Renewables Portfolio Standard for the state is an enormous accomplishment that would never have become a reality without Sen. Sher's leadership, according to the association.
FPL Energy is a leading unregulated wholesale generator of clean energy, including natural gas, wind, solar, hydroelectric and nuclear. It is the nation's leader in wind energy with 31 wind facilities in operation in 10 states. FPL Energy has a generating portfolio of nearly 9,900 net megawatts in operation with more than 1,900 megawatts coming from clean and renewable wind energy. It is a subsidiary of FPL Group (NYSE:FPL), one of the nation's largest providers of electricity-related services with annual revenues of more than $8 billion. FPL Group's principal subsidiary is Florida Power & Light Company, one of the nation's largest electric utilities, serving more than 4 million customer accounts in Florida. Additional information is available on the Internet at www.FPLEnergy.com, www.FPLGroup.com and www.FPL.com.
PPM Energy is part of the ScottishPower ((NYSE: SPI) group of companies. With a portfolio of more than 700 megawatts of wind power currently in operation or under construction, PPM has a goal of bringing 2,000 megawatts of new wind power to market by 2010. PPM balances its supply portfolio with sales to wholesale customers, placing almost all of its output in long-term contracts. Major customers include the cities of Seattle, Sacramento, Pasadena, Anaheim as well as investor-owned utilities such as Alliant Energy and Xcel Energy and the federal Bonneville Power Administration. PPM also has about 800 megawatts of clean gas resources under its control to give customers a wide range of options for adding environmentally responsible energy to their portfolios. The American Wind Energy Association honored PPM with its "Market Maker of the Year" award for aggressively finding markets for wind power.
Contact:
Steve Stengel, FPL Energy, (888) 867-3050
Art Sasse, Director, Communications & Brand, Iberdrola Renewables, 503-796-7740
Paul Copleman, Media Relations, Iberdrola Renewables, 207-641-2805
About Avangrid: Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) aspires to be the leading sustainable energy company in the United States. Headquartered in Orange, CT with approximately $44 billion in assets and operations in 24 U.S. states, Avangrid has two primary lines of business: networks and renewables. Through its networks business, Avangrid owns and operates eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.3 million customers in New York and New England. Through its renewables business, Avangrid owns and operates a portfolio of renewable energy generation facilities across the United States. Avangrid employs approximately 8,000 people and has been recognized by JUST Capital in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 as one of the JUST 100 companies – a ranking of America’s best corporate citizens. In 2024, Avangrid ranked first among utilities and 12 overall. The company supports the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2024 for the sixth consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. Avangrid is a member of the group of companies controlled by Iberdrola, S.A. For more information, visit www.avangrid.com.
About Iberdrola: Iberdrola is one of the world's biggest energy companies and a leader in renewables, spearheading the energy transition to a low carbon economy. The group supplies energy to almost 100 million people in dozens of countries. With a focus on renewable energy, smart networks and smart solutions for customers, Iberdrola’s main markets include Europe (Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy and Greece), the United States, Brazil, Mexico and Australia. The company is also present in growth markets such as Japan, Taiwan, Ireland, Sweden and Poland, among others.
With a workforce of nearly 40,000 and assets in excess of €141.7 billion, across the world, Iberdrola helps to support 400,000 jobs across its supply chain, with annual procurement of €12.2 billion. A benchmark in the fight against climate change, Iberdrola has invested more than €130 billion over the past two decades to help build a sustainable energy model, based on sound environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles.
