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Pacific Power customers benefiting from 100.5-megawatt facility
PORTLAND, Ore. — Sixty-seven new spinning turbines are now helping meet the electricity needs of homes and businesses throughout
the region, with commercial operation recently achieved by the Leaning Juniper 1 wind generation facility just southwest of
Arlington, Ore.
PacifiCorp purchased the facility in July from PPM Energy, which began project construction last January. As part of the agreement,
PPM Energy will provide operation and maintenance services for the project for two years.
The electricity generated at Leaning Juniper 1 is part of the diverse resource mix used to supply electricity to PacifiCorp’s
approximately 1.7 million customers in six Western states. PacifiCorp serves customers in Oregon, Washington and California
through Pacific Power, and Utah, Wyoming and Idaho through Rocky Mountain Power.
"This project is a demonstration of our commitment to pursue renewable resources and a clear indication of our intent to diversify
our generation portfolio with cost-effective, environmentally prudent resources," said Pat Reiten, Pacific Power president.
"Our customers can be proud that an increasing portion of electricity in our portfolio is coming from wind."
Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski praised the effort.
"Expanding our state’s supply of home-grown, clean sources of energy will create good living-wage jobs and healthier communities
around the state," said Gov. Kulongoski. "I appreciate both PacifiCorp and PPM Energy’s work in support of my vision for energy
independence for Oregon."
As part of MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company’s acquisition of PacifiCorp, PacifiCorp committed to bring 100 megawatts of
cost-effective wind resources in service within one year of the transaction close and, to the extent available, to have 400
megawatts of cost-effective new renewable resources in its generation portfolio by the end of 2007. With Leaning Juniper 1,
the recent purchase of the 140.5-megawatt Marengo wind project near Dayton, Wash., and other recent transactions, PacifiCorp
easily has met its 100-megawatt commitment and is within 64 megawatts of reaching its 400-megawatt goal. In addition, MidAmerican
Energy Holdings Company reaffirmed PacifiCorp’s commitment to acquire 1,400 megawatts of new cost-effective renewable resources
by 2015.
Based on detailed wind studies, the Leaning Juniper 1 project is expected to generate enough energy to serve more than 30,000
homes each year. It is located on land owned by Waste Management Disposal Services of Oregon, Inc.
Specifics of the project:
· 67 General Electric 1.5-megawatt SLE turbines
· Each turbine is 263 feet in height at the hub
· The turbine blades spin in a 253-foot diameter circle
· The project occupies approximately 5,000 acres within the 10,000 acres owned by Waste Management; however, the project footprint
is small, enabling the vast majority of the land to continue to be used for grazing and farming purposes
· In conjunction with the wind farm, an 80-acre conservation easement has been established to offset the project footprint’s
impact on the surrounding natural environment
· The expected annual average wind speed at the site is more than 15 miles per hour
· Based on detailed wind studies, the expected energy output of the project can meet the energy needs of 30,000 customers
each year
Construction from groundbreaking to completion took less than nine months
Media inquiries:
newsdesk@pacificorp.com
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