July
15, 2003
FPL Energy announces plans for 30-megawatt wind farm in Pennsylvania
JUNO BEACH, Fla. -- FPL Energy, LLC, a subsidiary of FPL
Group (NYSE:FPL), today announced it will build, own and operate
the Meyersdale Wind Energy Center, a 30-megawatt wind farm in Pennsylvania.
It will sell the electricity output to FirstEnergy Solutions, a
subsidiary of Akron, Ohio-based FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE), under
a long-term contract.
FPL Energy will construct 20 1.5-megawatt wind turbines at a site
in Somerset County near Meyersdale, in southwestern Pennsylvania.
The turbines will have a generating capacity of 30 megawatts, providing
enough electricity to power approximately 12,000 homes.
"The Meyersdale Wind Energy Center is an excellent complement
to our existing wind assets in the region and represents further
progress in the growth of our industry leading wind portfolio,"
said Jim Robo, president of FPL Energy. "We are pleased to
be bringing an additional source of clean, renewable power to Pennsylvania
and the Mid-Atlantic region."
Anthony J. Alexander, president and chief operating officer of
FirstEnergy, said, "The Meyersdale project will be an important
source of renewable energy for our customers, and we look forward
to working with FPL Energy on it."
The project was developed by Atlantic Renewable Energy Corp. and
Zilkha Renewable Energy LLC. Construction of the project will begin
later this year and is expected to be completed by the end of 2003.
"The development team wishes to recognize the support the
landowners, community and local leadership have given to the project,
enabling Somerset County to continue to be a showcase for modern
wind power technology," said Sam Enfield, project manager of
the Atlantic Renewable-Zilkha Renewable project team. "We are
pleased that FPL Energy, the nation's leading wind generator, is
involved in this project."
With today's announcement, FPL Energy has nearly 130 megawatts
of clean, renewable wind energy either in operation, under construction
or advanced development in Pennsylvania. To date, FPL Energy has
announced wind projects representing more than 670 megawatts that
are expected to be operational by the end of 2003. FPL Energy currently
has 30 wind facilities in operation representing more than 1,700
megawatts.
FPL Energy is a leading unregulated wholesale generator of clean
energy, including natural gas, wind, solar, hydroelectric and nuclear.
It is the nation's leader in wind energy, with 30 wind facilities
in operation in 10 states. Wind power represents more than 20 percent
of the company's portfolio. It is a subsidiary of FPL Group, one
of the nation's largest providers of electricity-related services
with annual revenues of more than $8 billion. FPL Group's principal
subsidiary is Florida Power & Light Company, one of the nation's
largest electric utilities, serving more than 4 million customer
accounts in Florida. Additional information is available on the
Internet at www.FPLEnergy.com,
www.FPLGroup.com and
www.FPL.com.
FirstEnergy Solutions, a leading supplier of energy and related
products and services, provides electricity and natural gas to many
Fortune 1,000 customers. FirstEnergy Corp. is a registered public
utility holding company. Its various subsidiaries and affiliates
are involved with the generation, transmission and distribution
of electricity; exploration and production of oil and natural gas;
transmission and marketing of natural gas; and energy management
and other energy-related services.
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