
PG&E Agrees to Purchase and Operate Major California Wind Energy
Project Dec 3, 2009 - EnergyCentral
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) today announced that it has contracted
with Iberdrola Renewables, Inc., the U.S. arm of the world's largest provider
of wind power, to purchase and operate a major wind generating plant to be built
in Southern California to serve the utility's electric customers. The proposed
Manzana Wind Project, with a power capacity of up to 246 megawatts, would be the
first wind project owned by PG&E. It follows a proposal by the utility in February,
2009 to develop and own 250 MW of solar photovoltaic power. The Manzana
project would be located on about 7,000 acres in the Tehachapi region of Eastern
Kern County, a site with favorable wind resources. If approved by the California
Public Utilities Commission, the project could begin producing power by December
2011. With a projected annual output of up to 670 gigawatt-hours per year,
equal to the energy consumed by about 100,000 average homes, the Manzana project
would contribute significantly to PG&E's efforts to meet California's Renewable
Portfolio Standard. "This agreement supports PG&E's comprehensive strategy
to meet our customers' future power needs with clean energy solutions," said Fong
Wan, PG&E's senior vice president for energy procurement. The total capital
cost of the Manzana project will be just over $900 million, which includes payments
to Iberdrola Renewables to develop and build the facility, along with other costs
that PG&E will incur. PG&E will make progress payments as significant milestones
are met. Rates for customers who receive electric generation, transmission
and distribution services from the utility would increase 1.1 percent in 2012
compared to 2009. The average residential customer, who consumes 550 kilowatt-hours
per month, would pay $0.25 more per month--from $74.13 to $74.38. Pacific
Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE: PCG), is one
of the largest combined natural gas and electric utilities in the United States.
Based in San Francisco, with 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the
nation's cleanest energy to 15 million people in northern and central California.
For more information, visit www.pge.com/about/. SOURCE Pacific Gas and
Electric Company A service of YellowBrix, Inc.
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