GP: News from AWEA: New Corporate Players in Wind Energy Industry

["Tom Gray" <tomgray@igc.org>]

American Wind Energy Association
www.awea.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 13, 2002
Contact: Tom Gray (802) 649-2112
Christine Real de Azua (202) 383-2508


NEW CORPORATE PLAYERS COULD POWER
STRONGER GROWTH IN WIND ENERGY
GE Power Systems, Major Utilities and Oil
Companies Stake Claims in Growing Business


        As the U.S. Senate continues consideration of national energy
legislation, the American wind energy industry is poised to continue
building on 2001--its most successful year in history--and is the focus of
growing interest by major players in the energy field, according to the
American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).

        The industry is receiving a boost not only from the recent two-year
extension of the federal wind energy production tax credit (PTC), which was
signed into law March 9, but from a series of announcements by utilities,
oil companies, and other firms that they see wind energy in their future.
Wind energy supporters are hopeful that with a further three-year extension
of the PTC included in the Senate energy bill, the industry will at last
have a stable financial environment and the serious corporate participation
needed to put it on the road to steady long-term growth.

        Among recent industry developments, AWEA said, are the following:

*       AMERICAN ELECTRIC POWER (AEP), one of the nation's largest
utilities, spent $175 million in late December to buy the 160-megawatt (MW)
Indian Mesa wind plant in West Texas.  Previously, AEP had invested $160
million to build its own 150-MW wind farm at Trent Mesa, also in West Texas.
Dwayne L. Hart, senior vice president of business development for AEP
subsidiary AEP Energy Services, commented, "The addition of Indian Mesa
furthers our goal of enhancing the renewable portion of our overall
generation portfolio."  Ward Marshall of AEP Energy Services is
President-Elect of AWEA.

*       BP and CHEVRONTEXACO announced in mid-January that they will build
and operate a 22.5-MW wind plant at their jointly-owned Nerefco oil refinery
near Rotterdam in The Netherlands.  Bob Dudley, BP's group vice president,
Gas and Power and Renewables, said, "This project is an excellent
opportunity in line with BP's strategy to add value to our business, lower
emissions, and demonstrate our commitment to clean energy," while James
Houck, ChevronTexaco President Power and Gasification, said, "Wind power is
an increasingly viable source of power generation and this project fits with
our objectives to manage carbon emissions and invest in new technologies
that minimize environmental impact."

*       ENTERGY, a major utility based in New Orleans, La., purchased a
majority interest in the 80-MW Top of Iowa wind farm from Houston,
Tex.-based Zilkha Renewable Energy and its partner, Midwest Renewable Energy
Corp.  Geoff Roberts, president and CEO of Entergy’s independent power
development business unit, commented on the transaction, "This project
provides Entergy with an attractive entry vehicle into the wind energy
business."

*       FPL ENERGY, a subsidiary of FPL Corp., which also owns the large
utility Florida Power & Light, announced January 7 that it had added 844 MW
of wind power to its power generation portfolio during 2001.  The company,
America's largest wind plant operator, now operates 1,830 MW of wind, of
which it owns 1,439 MW.  Dean Gosselin, FPL Energy vice president of wind
development, said,  "We know there are many more opportunities for wind
energy throughout the country and great support in many regions for new wind
power facilities."

*       GE POWER SYSTEMS said in late February that it has signed an
agreement to purchase the manufacturing capability of Enron Wind Corp., the
largest U.S.-based utility-scale wind turbine manufacturer.  "The
acquisition of Enron Wind represents GE Power Systems' initial investment
into renewable wind power, one of the fastest growing energy sectors," said
John Rice, president and CEO of GE Power Systems.  GE Power Systems said it
expects the wind industry to grow at an annual rate of about 20%, with
principal markets in Europe, the U.S., and Latin America.

*       PACIFICORP POWER MARKETING (PPM), affiliated with Pacificorp, a
large utility based in Portland, Ore., is playing a major role in building
the market for wind in the Northwest.  The company is purchasing and
marketing power from three wind plants in the West, including the 261-MW
Stateline Project, and has said it plans to add substantial wind capacity to
its portfolio over the next few years.  "This is wind power on a grand
scale," said PPM president Terry Hudgens of Stateline, adding, "Stateline is
a watershed event for our company and for the region. With Stateline, wind
is no longer just a small niche in our supply, but has taken a position as a
very real and significant part of the new electric resources the region
badly needs."

*       SHELL subsidiary Shell WindEnergy, Inc., announced in late January
that it had purchased an 80-MW wind plant near Amarillo, Tex.  "We are
delighted to have moved so quickly in making a second major investment in
the U.S. wind power market," said David Jones, Director of Shell WindEnergy,
Inc.  "Wind energy is not only the fastest-growing area of power generation
worldwide but it is also one of the cleanest sources of energy."  Shell
WindEnergy also owns a 50-MW wind project in Wyoming, and Shell is
developing or operating more than 1,000 MW of wind in the U.S. and Europe.

*       TXU, a large utility based in Dallas, Tex., announced in early
January that it plans to purchase a 40% equity stake in two wind farms under
construction in central Spain.  TXU is already one of the largest U.S.
purchasers of wind-generated electricity, buying the output of several Texas
wind plants.

*       UTILICORP UNITED, based in Kansas City, Mo., commissioned a 110-MW
wind plant near Montezuma, Kans., in December.  Commented Keith Stamm,
president and chief operating officer of UtiliCorp’s Global Networks Group,
"This wind farm demonstrates UtiliCorp’s commitment to providing its
customers with renewable and reliable energy supplies . . . While this is
the first major wind power project in Kansas, the state has the potential to
be a U.S. leader in wind energy."

        "This string of announcements by major energy corporations is
rapidly changing the face of the wind energy business," said Randall
Swisher, AWEA executive director.  "Coming on the heels of the industry's
most successful year, in the U.S. and worldwide, it signals that wind energy
is moving into the big leagues.  AWEA estimates that with continued
government encouragement and broad utility support, wind energy will provide
at least six percent of the nation’s electricity by 2020.”



AWEA, formed in 1974, is the national trade association of the U.S. wind
energy industry.  The association’s membership includes turbine
manufacturers, wind project developers, utilities, academicians, and
interested individuals.  More information on wind energy is available at the
AWEA web site:  www.awea.org


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