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April 22, 2004
FPL Energy announces agreement to sell Texas generating facility
JUNO BEACH, Fla. -- FPL Energy, LLC, the wholesale generating subsidiary
of FPL Group Inc. (NYSE: FPL), today announced that FPL Energy affiliates
have entered into an agreement to sell their entire ownership interest
in the Bastrop Energy Center (BEC) to Centrica. The transaction is
expected to close no later than early third quarter 2004.
BEC is a 540-megawatt combined cycle power plant located in Bastrop
County, Texas, and has been in operation since May 2002.
“This transaction is the result of our ongoing analysis of
our generating assets to ensure we maintain a balanced portfolio
in line with our current strategies,” said Jim Robo, president
of FPL Energy. “We continue to own and operate an attractive
portfolio of natural gas-fired generating assets in North Texas near
the fast growing Dallas market and more than 600 net megawatts of
wind generation in West Texas and are excited about their long-term
potential.”
A FPL Energy affiliate will provide Centrica transition services
following the close of the transaction and ongoing major maintenance
support for three years under a service’s contract.
The company said it expects the transaction to be accretive to 2005
earnings.
The sale is subject to customary conditions, including the receipt
of Hart Scott Rodino approval.
FPL Energy is a leading wholesale generator of clean energy, including
natural gas, wind, solar, hydroelectric and nuclear. It is a subsidiary
of FPL Group (NYSE:FPL), one of the nation’s largest providers
of electricity-related services with annual revenues of more than
$9 billion. FPL Group’s principal subsidiary is Florida Power & Light
Company, one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, serving
more than 4.2 million customer accounts in Florida. Additional information
is available on the Internet at www.FPLEnergy.com, www.FPLGroup.com and www.FPL.com.
CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS AND RISK FACTORS THAT MAY AFFECT FUTURE RESULTS
In connection with the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (Reform Act), FPL Group, Inc. (FPL
Group) and Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) are hereby filing
cautionary statements identifying important factors that could cause
FPL Group's or FPL's actual results to differ materially from those
projected in forward-looking statements (as such term is defined
in the Reform Act) made by or on behalf of FPL Group and FPL in this
press release, in response to questions or otherwise. Any statements
that express, or involve discussions as to expectations, beliefs,
plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often,
but not always, through the use of words or phrases such as will
likely result, are expected to, will continue, is anticipated, believe,
could, estimated, may, plan, potential, projection, target, outlook)
are not statements of historical facts and may be forward-looking.
Forward-looking statements involve estimates, assumptions and uncertainties.
Accordingly, any such statements are qualified in their entirety
by reference to, and are accompanied by, the following important
factors (in addition to any assumptions and other factors referred
to specifically in connection with such forward-looking statements)
that could cause FPL Group's or FPL's actual results to differ materially
from those contained in forward-looking statements made by or on
behalf of FPL Group and FPL.
Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which
such statement is made, and FPL Group and FPL undertake no obligation
to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances
after the date on which such statement is made or to reflect the
occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors emerge from time
to time and it is not possible for management to predict all of such
factors, nor can it assess the impact of each such factor on the
business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors,
may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained
in any forward-looking statement.
The following are some important factors that could have a significant
impact on FPL Group's and FPL's operations and financial results,
and could cause FPL Group's and FPL's actual results or outcomes
to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking
statements:
- FPL Group and FPL are subject to changes in laws or regulations,
including the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978, as
amended (PURPA), and the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935,
as amended (Holding Company Act), changing governmental policies
and regulatory actions, including those of the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission (FERC), the Florida Public Service Commission (FPSC) and
the utility commissions of other states in which FPL Group has operations,
and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), with respect to,
among other things, allowed rates of return, industry and rate structure,
operation of nuclear power facilities, operation and construction
of plant facilities, operation and construction of transmission facilities,
acquisition, disposal, depreciation and amortization of assets and
facilities, recovery of fuel and purchased power costs, decommissioning
costs, return on common equity and equity ratio limits, and present
or prospective wholesale and retail competition (including but not
limited to retail wheeling and transmission costs). The FPSC has
the authority to disallow recovery by FPL of costs that it considers
excessive or imprudently incurred.
- The regulatory process generally restricts FPL's ability to grow
earnings and does not provide any assurance as to achievement
of earnings levels.
FPL Group and FPL are subject to extensive federal, state
and local environmental statutes, rules and regulations relating
to air quality,
water quality, waste management, wildlife mortality, natural
resources and health and safety that could, among other things,
restrict or
limit the output of certain facilities or the use of certain
fuels required for the production of electricity and/or increase
costs.
There are significant capital, operating and other costs
associated with compliance with these environmental statutes,
rules and regulations,
and those costs could be even more significant in the future.
- FPL Group and FPL operate in a changing market environment influenced
by various legislative and regulatory initiatives
regarding deregulation,
regulation or restructuring of the energy industry, including
deregulation of the production and sale of electricity.
FPL Group and its subsidiaries
will need to adapt to these changes and may face increasing
competitive pressure.
- FPL Group's and FPL's results of
operations could be affected by their ability to renegotiate
franchise agreements with
municipalities
and counties in Florida.
The operation of power generation facilities involves
many risks, including start up risks, breakdown or failure
of
equipment, transmission
lines or pipelines, use of new technology, the dependence
on a specific fuel source or the impact of unusual or
adverse weather conditions
(including natural disasters such as hurricanes), as
well as the risk of performance below expected levels
of output
or efficiency.
This could result in lost revenues and/or increased expenses.
Insurance, warranties or performance guarantees may not
cover any or all of
the lost revenues or increased expenses, including the
cost of replacement power. In addition to these risks,
FPL Group's
and FPL's nuclear
units face certain risks that are unique to the nuclear
industry including the ability to dispose of spent nuclear
fuel, as
well as additional regulatory actions up to and including
shutdown of the
units stemming from public safety concerns, whether at
FPL Group's and FPL's plants, or at the plants of other
nuclear
operators. Breakdown
or failure of an FPL Energy, LLC (FPL Energy) operating
facility may prevent the facility from performing under
applicable
power sales agreements which, in certain situations,
could result in termination
of the agreement or incurring a liability for liquidated
damages.
- FPL Group's and FPL's ability to successfully
and timely complete their power generation facilities
currently
under construction, those
projects yet to begin construction or capital improvements
to existing facilities is contingent upon many variables
and subject to substantial
risks. Should any such efforts be unsuccessful, FPL
Group and FPL could be subject to additional costs, termination
payments under
committed contracts, and/or the write-off of their
investment
in the project or improvement.
- FPL Group and FPL use
derivative instruments, such as swaps, options, futures and forwards
to manage their
commodity
and financial market
risks, and to a lesser extent, engage in limited
trading activities. FPL Group could recognize financial losses
as a result of volatility
in the market values of these contracts, or if a
counterparty fails to perform. In the absence of actively quoted
market
prices and pricing
information from external sources, the valuation
of
these derivative instruments involves management's
judgment
or use of estimates. As
a result, changes in the underlying assumptions or
use of alternative valuation methods could affect
the reported
fair
value of these contracts.
In addition, FPL's use of such instruments could
be subject to prudency challenges and if found imprudent,
cost recovery
could be disallowed
by the FPSC.
- There are other risks associated with
FPL Group's non-rate regulated businesses, particularly FPL Energy.
In addition
to risks discussed
elsewhere, risk factors specifically affecting
FPL Energy's success in competitive wholesale markets
include the
ability to efficiently
develop and operate generating assets, the successful
and timely completion of project restructuring
activities, maintenance of the
qualifying facility status of certain projects,
the price and supply of fuel, transmission constraints,
competition
from new sources of
generation, excess generation capacity and demand
for power.
There can be significant volatility in market prices
for fuel and electricity,
and there are other financial, counterparty and
market risks that are beyond the control of FPL Energy.
FPL Energy's inability
or failure
to effectively hedge its assets or positions against
changes in commodity prices, interest rates, counterparty
credit
risk or other risk measures
could significantly impair its future financial
results. In keeping with industry trends, a portion of FPL
Energy's power generation
facilities operate wholly or partially without
long-term power purchase agreements. As a result, power from
these facilities is sold on the
spot market or on a short-term contractual basis,
which may affect the volatility of FPL Group's
financial results. In
addition, FPL
Energy's business depends upon transmission facilities
owned and operated by others; if transmission is
disrupted
or capacity
is inadequate
or unavailable, FPL Energy's ability to sell and
deliver its wholesale power may be limited.
- FPL
Group is likely to encounter significant competition
for acquisition opportunities that may become
available as a result of the consolidation
of the power industry. In addition, FPL Group
may be unable to identify attractive acquisition opportunities
at favorable
prices and to successfully
and timely complete and integrate them.
FPL Group and FPL rely on access to capital markets
as a significant source of liquidity for capital
requirements not satisfied by operating
cash flows. The inability of FPL Group and FPL
to maintain their current credit ratings could
affect
their ability
to
raise capital
on favorable terms, particularly during times
of uncertainty in the capital markets which,
in turn,
could impact
FPL
Group's and FPL's
ability to grow their businesses and would likely
increase interest costs.
- FPL Group's and FPL's
results of operations can be affected by changes in the weather.
Weather
conditions
directly
influence the demand
for electricity and natural gas and affect
the price of energy commodities, and can affect the
production
of electricity
at wind and hydro-powered
facilities. In addition, severe weather can
be destructive, causing outages and/or property
damage, which could
require additional costs
to be incurred.
- FPL Group and FPL are subject
to costs and other effects of legal and administrative proceedings,
settlements,
investigations and claims,
as well as the effect of new, or changes
in, tax rates or policies, rates of inflation,
accounting
standards,
securities
laws or corporate
governance requirements.
- FPL Group and FPL
are subject to direct and indirect effects of terrorist threats
and
activities. Generation and transmission
facilities, in
general, have been identified as potential
targets.
The effects of terrorist threats and activities
include, among other
things, terrorist
actions or responses to such actions or
threats, the inability to generate, purchase or transmit
power, the
risk of a
significant slowdown
in growth or a decline in the U.S. economy,
delay in
economic recovery in the United States,
and the increased cost and
adequacy of security
and insurance.
- FPL Group's and FPL's ability
to obtain insurance, and the cost of and coverage
provided by
such insurance, could be
affected by national
events as well as company-specific events.
- FPL Group and FPL are subject to employee workforce factors,
including loss or
retirement of key
executives, availability
of qualified personnel,
collective bargaining agreements with
union employees or work stoppage.
The
issues and associated risks and uncertainties described above
are not
the only ones
FPL Group and FPL may face.
Additional issues
may arise or become material as the
energy industry evolves. The risks
and uncertainties
associated
with these additional
issues could
impair FPL Group's and FPL's businesses
in the future.

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