EWEB and PPM Sign 25-year Wind Power Deal
May 14, 2002
EUGENE, Ore. – The Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) and PacifiCorp Power Marketing, Inc. (PPM) today announced EWEB’s largest purchase of wind energy to date.
The 25 megawatts of windpower capacity supplied to EWEB by PPM will power up about 4,800 Eugene homes for the next 25 years, based on expected annual output from the turbines. PPM owns the entire output of the energy from the Stateline Wind Energy Center on the Washington-Oregon border. PPM arranged innovative shaping and firming agreements to deliver dependable, renewable power to EWEB.
“The Stateline project purchase represents another significant step forward in EWEB’s efforts to increase the amount of renewable energy it has,” said EWEB General Manager Randy Berggren. “This acquisition keeps EWEB on track with our board’s goal of adding 1 percent of our load in new renewable energy supplies each year.”
“We’re delighted that EWEB and others have shown such strong demand for purchasing renewables over the long term,” said Terry Hudgens, PPM’s CEO. “We’re delivering reliable, affordable wind power tailored specifically for each of our wholesale customers.”
In addition to the EWEB contract, PPM has signed the biggest public utility wind power contract to date in the United States -- a 20-year supply transaction with Seattle City Light, the municipal utility for Seattle. Seattle City Light started buying 50 megawatts of power in January 2002, doubling to 100 megawatts in August 2002, then 150 megawatts in January 2004 and, potentially, to 175 megawatts in August 2004. The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) also signed a 25-year contract with PPM for 90 megawatts of green power, the largest wind contract in BPA’s history.
EWEB’s share of windpower from the Stateline project equals about 6 percent of its residential electricity needs. The municipal utility also is a one-fifth owner of the Foote Creek Rim I wind farm in southeastern Wyoming, built in 1998 in partnership with PacifiCorp, PPM’s regulated sister company. EWEB markets its windpower as a “green” option for customers.
To learn more about the project, contact...
Lance Robertson, EWEB, (541) 984-4716
Jan Johnson, PPM (503) 796-7070