February 23, 2005
FPL Energy to continue aggressive actions to reduce avian collisions in the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area

Urges quick consensus of stakeholders to implement additional measures to further reduce collisions

JUNO BEACH, Fla. - FPL Energy, LLC, a subsidiary of FPL Group (NYSE: FPL) and the nation's largest wind energy producer, along with its partners, said today they are committed to continuing to pursue aggressive actions to significantly reduce avian fatalities in the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area.

The company said that since it began operating wind turbines in the Altamont it has taken a number of actions to reduce collisions including removing high risk turbines, perch guarding and participation in a rodent control program. These actions were taken after consultation with biological experts and agencies.

FPL Energy, along with its partners and other turbine owners and operators in the Altamont Pass Wind Resources Area, are planning to institute an adaptive management plan. The plan will enable the companies to implement, assess and modify, if necessary, steps taken to reduce bird collisions with wind turbines as soon as all stakeholders reach consensus.

“An adaptive management plan is a flexible approach to dealing with the complex issue of bird-wind turbine interaction for which neither industry, government, nor other stakeholders have all the answers,” said Bryan Fennell, vice president of business management for FPL Energy. “We have been working with various stakeholders on our plan for more than a year and have been frustrated by the lack of progress, and the inability of the stakeholders to reach consensus on a reasonable program that presents the most environmentally and economically viable solution.”

The company said it has already removed or taken out of service approximately 10 percent of the turbines it operates in the Altamont including removing 169 turbines and replacing them with 31 modern wind turbines and shutting down and either removing or relocating nearly 100 additional turbines in areas identified as having a high potential for interaction with birds. The company has also upgraded electrical protection measures on utility structures to better prevent the potential of raptor electrocutions from perching.

Other measures being proposed by the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area turbine owners and operators, including FPL Energy, are in the short term, seasonal shutdown and additional removal or relocation of high risk turbines, and in the longer term, repowering.

“The turbine removal and relocation project and the upgrading of utility poles are just two of the steps in our overall plan and we want to do more,” Fennell said. “Due to the complexity of the issue and varying opinions on potential solutions, we believe buy-in by all stakeholders on the remaining elements of the plan is critical to the plan’s overall success. Once we achieve that, which we hope is very soon, we will begin to implement other elements of the plan. Unfortunately, it seems our plan has been held hostage by the competing interests of various stakeholders.

“As the largest owner and operator of wind turbines in the Altamont, we have taken a leading role in trying to address this problem. However, we cannot move forward with additional mitigation measures until all stakeholders are willing to strike a balance between the need to reduce raptor mortality in the Altamont, meeting the increasing energy needs of California and the economic viability of wind projects in the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area,” Fennell said.

FPL Energy and other turbine owners in the Altamont are working with Western EcoSystems Technology, Inc. (WEST Inc.) and the California Energy Commission staff to establish protocols and locations within the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area to implement the plan. In addition, the Altamont turbine owners expect to use WEST Inc. to provide ongoing monitoring to determine the effectiveness of the various steps outlined above. WEST Inc. has extensive experience studying bird and wind turbine interaction.

FPL Energy and its partners currently own and operate nearly 2,200 turbines in the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area. In 2004, the power generated from FPL Energy’s wind turbines in the Altamont, and throughout California, offset nearly 593,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, nearly 700 tons of nitrogen oxide emissions and more than 550 tons of sulfur dioxide emissions. Electricity produced from wind offers a clean, renewable source of energy that does not create any emissions or use any water. In addition, wind energy helps diversify the energy supply and reduce dependence upon fossil fuels, including oil imports.

FPL Energy is a leading wholesale generator utilizing clean fuels such as natural gas, wind, solar, hydroelectric and nuclear to generate electricity. It is the nation's leader in wind energy, with 43 wind facilities in operation in 15 states. It is a subsidiary of FPL Group, one of the nation's largest providers of electricity-related services. 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.