Portland General Electric Company announced today the first turbines assembled for Phase 3 of its Biglow Canyon Wind Farm have begun generating electricity and supplying power to the Pacific Northwest’s electricity grid. Twenty-four turbines are currently generating power, with all 76 turbines in Phase 3 expected to be completed by the end of the third quarter of 2010.
“Bringing the first turbines of the final phase of Biglow Canyon Wind Farm online represents a big step in developing more renewable energy resources for our customers and for the growing wind energy development in the region,” said Jim Piro, PGE president and CEO. “We expect to have the entire 450-megawatt wind farm online on time and on budget.”
The $1 billion Biglow Canyon Wind Farm is PGE’s first fully owned wind power facility. Phase 1 of the project began producing power in December 2007 with 76 turbines and Phase 2 in August 2009 with 65 turbines, with a combined generating capacity of 275 megawatts. The addition of the final phase will bring the total installed capacity to 450 megawatts. Given the variability of wind power, the plant is expected to produce an average of around 150 megawatts — enough to power the homes of about 125,000 average PGE residential customers.
Trucks carrying wind-turbine parts for the final phase began arriving at Biglow Canyon in April 2010, with about 10 truckloads required to assemble a single wind turbine. Each of the 415-foot-tall turbines, from base to tip of blade, has a generating capacity of 2.3 megawatts. Phase 3 is providing jobs for about 150 employees and contractors during construction.
The Biglow Canyon Wind Farm is located near Wasco in Sherman County, Ore. It is PGE’s largest renewable energy project. When complete, it is also expected to be one of the largest wind power facilities in the Pacific Northwest. In addition to providing carbon-free and emissions-free generation of electric power, the wind farm is creating jobs, providing income for local businesses, generating tax revenues for local government, and providing easement payments to landowners.
The Biglow Canyon project was developed by Orion Energy LLC. It is being built by PGE, which also owns and operates it.
About Portland General Electric Company
Portland General Electric, headquartered in Portland, Ore., is a fully integrated electric utility that serves approximately 817,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Oregon. Visit our website at PortlandGeneral.com
Safe Harbor Statement
Statements in this news release that relate to future plans, objectives, expectations, performance, events and the like may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such forward-looking statements include statements concerning the future completion and performance of phase three of the Biglow Canyon Wind Farm and other expected benefits of the project, as well as other statements identified by words including, but not limited to, “will,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “intends,” “estimates,” “promises,” “expects,” “should,” “conditioned upon” and similar expressions. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, including regulatory, operational and legal matters, as well as other factors that could affect the deployment and successful operation of turbines at the Biglow Canyon project. As a result, actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements included in this news release are based on information available to the Company on the date hereof and such statements speak only as of the date hereof. The Company assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Prospective investors should also review the risks and uncertainties listed in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and the Company’s reports on Forms 8-K and 10-Q filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, including Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation and the risks described therein from time to time.
POR-F Source: Portland General Electric Company
SOURCE: Portland General Electric Company
PGE
Brianne Hyder, 503-464-8442
brianne.hyder@pgn.com
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