Green Mountain
Energy Company and TXU Energy Announce
The Green Mountain Energy® Wind Farm at Brazos The Largest Wind Farm Built since Texans Were Given the Right to Choose; TXU Energy Extends Leadership as Largest Wind Purchaser in Southwest
The Green Mountain Energy Wind Farm at Brazos is being developed by Cielo Wind Power, LLC of Austin, TX and Orion Energy LLC of Oakland, CA. TXU Energy of Dallas, a subsidiary of TXU Corp (NYSE:TXU) and Green Mountain Energy Company of Austin have entered into an agreement to purchase 100% of the wind output from the project. Shell WindEnergy, a subsidiary of Shell Renewables, and Padoma Resources I, Inc., a subsidiary of Padoma Wind Power LLC acquired the project in July, 2003, prior to construction and jointly own the wind farm. Shell WindEnergy will be the operator. The wind farm will consist of 160 one-MW Mitsubishi wind generators. Each turbine is approximately 230 feet tall, weighs 370,000 pounds and produces zero emissions. The project will generate energy to power 30,000 average Texas homes per year. “This is a great example of the power of choice,” said
Paul Thomas, CEO of Green Mountain Energy Company. “The success of the
Texas market, coupled with the demand created by our loyal customers,
has resulted in the development of the first Green Mountain Energy Wind
Farm in Texas.” “As the largest purchaser of wind power in Texas, TXU Energy is pleased to help make this transaction a reality,” said VJ Horgan, president of portfolio management for TXU Energy. “Through projects and partnerships like this, wind energy will continue to grow as part of the Texas energy mix.” “This project represents Texas’ strong commitment to renewable energy,” said Walter Hornaday, president of Cielo Wind Power. “Cielo Wind Power plans to seek a commitment from the Texas Public Utility Commission to expand the capacity of West Texas transmission circuits so that more clean wind farms can deliver energy to Texas urban areas like Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston, Austin and San Antonio.” Reid Buckley, vice president of Orion Energy LLC, stated, “At a time of increased uncertainty in natural gas supply, we are very pleased to be involved in another wind project that will soon be delivering more low-cost, environmentally-friendly electricity to the State of Texas.” Wind power complements TXU’s Environmental Principle of
supporting renewable energy: “TXU will encourage research on and development
of more efficient, environmentally-benign sources of energy and, wherever
warranted by market opportunities, offer our customers the benefits of
energy produced from renewable resources.” TXU is a major energy company with operations in North America and Australia. TXU manages a diverse energy portfolio with a strategic mix of over $30 billion of assets. TXU’s distinctive business model for competitive markets integrates generation, portfolio management, and retail into one single business. The regulated electric and natural gas distribution and transmission businesses complement the competitive operations, using asset management skills developed over more than a hundred years, to provide reliable energy delivery to consumers and earnings and cash flow for stakeholders. In its primary market of Texas, TXU’s portfolio includes 19,000 megawatts of generation and additional contracted capacity with a fuel mix of coal/lignite, natural gas/oil, nuclear power and wind. TXU serves five million customers in North America and Australia, including 2.7 million competitive electric customers in Texas where it is the leading energy retailer. Visit www.txucorp.com for more information about TXU. Cielo Wind Power, LLC develops, maintains and assists with the construction of utility-grade wind power projects. With field offices in McCamey, White Deer and Fluvanna, Texas, Austin-based Cielo Wind Power is the largest wind developer in the Southwest and is dedicated solely to cost-effective and environmentally responsible wind project development. Cielo Wind Power is a privately held company. For more information about Cielo, please visit www.cielowind.com. Orion Energy LLC, headquartered in Oakland, California, is a leading wind energy company with world-class expertise in the development, finance, construction, and operation of wind energy projects throughout the United States and Europe. For further information about Orion Energy LLC please contact Reid Buckley (RBuckley@orion-energy.com; 510-267-9323) or visit www.orion-energy.com. #### |