Portland General Electric and NextEra Energy Resources to develop nation's first major energy facility co-locating wind, solar and battery storage
The new project, called the Wheatridge Renewable Energy Facility, will be the first of this scale in
"We're moving aggressively to integrate smart grid technologies and renewable energy to give customers affordable, clean, low-carbon energy," said
The new facility, combined with PGE's existing resources, will bring the company's wind generation portfolio to a nameplate total of more than 1,000 megawatts (one gigawatt), available from five owned or contracted wind farms in the Northwest – enough power to serve the equivalent of 340,000 homes. The solar farm will be one of the largest in
With the addition of these new renewable resources, PGE expects to meet about 50 percent of its customers' power needs with emissions-free generation.
"We're pleased to work with
U.S. Senator
"
Project details
Power from the facility will be generated by 120 wind turbines manufactured by
Wheatridge will provide up to 300 jobs during construction of the wind site and up to 175 jobs during construction of the solar and storage sites. Approximately 10 full-time employees will operate the combined facilities once they're commissioned for service.
Ownership and construction
PGE will own 100 megawatts of the wind project. A subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources will own the balance of the project and sell its output to PGE under 30-year power purchase agreements. NextEra Energy Resources' subsidiary will build and operate the combined facility. The split ownership and PPA structure will allow the two energy companies to share project risks and benefits.
The wind component of the facility will be operational by
PGE expects to invest approximately
Competitive selection process
The Wheatridge project was the prevailing bid submitted in response to a request for proposals for renewable resources PGE issued in
About
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. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding the company's future energy mix; statements concerning the company's integration of smart-grid technologies and renewable energy into the grid; statements regarding acquisition, construction, completion, and operation of generating and battery storage facilities; as well as other statements containing words such as "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "promises," "expects," "should," "conditioned upon," "will," "would," "could" and similar expressions. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, including construction and operational risks relating to the generation and battery storage facilities, including wind conditions and unscheduled delays or plant outages, which may result in unanticipated operating, maintenance and repair costs, as well as replacement power costs; the costs of compliance with environmental laws and regulations, including changes in weather, hydroelectric and energy markets conditions, which could affect the availability and cost of purchased power and fuel; changes in capital market conditions, which could affect the availability and cost of capital and result in delay or cancellation of capital projects; failure to complete capital projects on schedule or within budget, failure of the counterparty to perform under the agreements, or the abandonment of capital projects, which could result in the company's inability to recover project costs; the outcome of various legal and regulatory proceedings; and general economic and financial market conditions. 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 statement. 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
POR-F
Source:
CONTACTS:
503-464-8444 or Steven.Corson@pgn.com
SOURCE