Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Governor Heineman Joins Edison Mission Energy and NPPD to Dedicate New

Governor Dave Heineman joined the presidents of Edison Mission Energy (EME), a subsidiary of Edison International (NYSE:EIX) and Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) Tuesday, October 16th, to dedicate the Broken Bow wind project in Custer County, Nebraska.  The new wind farm is able to produce enough energy to meet the needs of about 25,000 homes in Nebraska.

The $145 million wind project, known as Broken Bow LLC, is located in central Nebraska, China Carbon Plate BMS9-8: 3K-70-PW, 200g/㎡, T300 3K, Plain Weave Manufacturersapproximately three miles northeast of the city of Broken Bow.  The project, which will be operated by EME, is capable of generating up to 80 megawatts (MW) of electricity.  All of the power produced by Broken Bow will be sold to NPPD under a 20-year power purchase agreement.  The project is targeted to begin commercial operations within the next several weeks.

“I want to thank Edison Mission Energy for developing and operating its third wind energy project in Nebraska,” said Gov. Dave Heineman. “Your continued investment in our state and our natural resource enhances Nebraska’s portfolio of providing renewable energy sources.”

“Nebraska is a great place for wind energy investment and Nebraska Public Power District is an outstanding utility partner to distribute that energy to its customers,” said Pedro Pizarro, president of EME.  “We look forward to completing construction and starting operations by year-end at yet another wind farm in Nebraska, the Crofton Bluffs project in Knox County.”

“This is another major step forward in NPPD’s strategic goal of having 10 percent of our energy mix by 2020 to come from renewable energy sources,” said NPPD President and CEO Pat Pope. “Our public power partners value this opportunity in adding additional renewable energy to their resource mix.” NPPD has established power sales agreements with Omaha Public Power District, Lincoln Electric System, and the City of Grand Island to purchase some of the output from the wind farm.

Construction of Broken Bow is taking approximately one year to complete. During its peak construction phase, the project employed approximately 100 individuals at the site.  During construction, the project contributed approximately $5.6 million to the state in sales tax revenues.

The wind farm will provide average annual tax revenues of approximately $600,000 over the next 25 years in property taxes and state income taxes.  In addition, Broken Bow will generate an average of $540,000 per year in lease royalties to local landowners.  Operations at the wind farm will provide seven permanent jobs in the Broken Bow area.

EME President Pedro Pizarro presented a $20,000 donation to Broken Bow School Superintendent Mark Sievering in support of the Broken Bow Public Schools Foundation’s capital campaign for the North Park Elementary gymnasium improvements.

The facility is powered by 50 wind turbines,China Carbon Plate BMS9-8: 3K-70-CS, 200g/㎡, T300 3K, Crow Foot Satin Manufacturers each capable of producing 1.6 MW of power at peak output.  The turbines are mounted on 80-meter high towers.  The wind farm site occupies approximately 14,000 acres of land.

EME is the sixth largest operator of wind energy projects in the U.S. and the largest in Nebraska.  EME operates two other wind farms in Nebraska which also sell their output to NPPD – the 80 MW Elkhorn Ridge wind farm near Bloomfield in Knox County and the 80 MW Laredo Ridge wind farm near Petersburg in Boone County.  The Elkhorn Ridge facility began operation in 2009 and is majority-owned by EME, with one-third owned by Nebraska employee-owners of Tenaska, a privately-held energy company headquartered in Omaha.  Laredo Ridge, which is 100 percent owned and operated by EME,China Carbon Plate BMS9-8: 3K-135-8H, 380g/㎡, T300 3K, 8H Satin Weave Manufacturerswas commissioned in November of 2010.  The 40 MW Crofton Bluffs wind farm, which is adjacent to the Elkhorn Ridge site, is currently under construction and is expected to be operational by year-end 2012.

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