CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 29, 2004--GE Energy has been selected as the turbine supplier for the 30-megawatt Magrath Wind Power Project in southern Alberta, Canada, GE announced today at Global Windpower 2004.
GE will provide 20 of its 1.5-megawatt wind turbines for the project, which is being co-developed by Suncor Energy Inc. of Calgary, Alberta and EHN Windpower Canada, Inc., a subsidiary of Corporacion Energia Hidroelectrica de Navarra, S.A. (EHN) of Spain.
The project has been approved by the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board. Installation of the GE wind turbines is expected to begin in May of 2004 and completion is anticipated in August 2004. The project's estimated generation, 90,000 megawatt-hours, is enough to meet the annual demands of approximately 13,000 Canadian homes.
Believed to be the largest wind facility in Canada to be developed solely on a merchant basis, the Magrath project's clean, wind-fueled electricity will be sold to the Alberta Power Pool, which was the first spot electricity market in North America.
This project is unique and reflects both the world's growing commitment toward environmental stewardship as well as wind power's growing acceptance worldwide, said Steve Zwolinski, CEO of GE Energy's wind operations. The project is being built without a long-term power contract, solely to deliver to consumers and utilities electricity generated from clean, renewable sources.
The Magrath project will benefit from the Canadian government's 10-year Wind Power Production Incentive (WPPI), which provides one Canadian cent per kilowatt hour of additional project revenue. The WPPI, announced in 2001, was designed to help establish wind energy as a full-fledged competitor in Canada's electricity market.
This project marks the first installation of our wind turbine technology in Canada, a country with a huge potential for wind power, said Zwolinski. The Canadian Wind Energy Association has predicted the country could produce up to 20% of its electricity from the wind, and has called upon federal and provincial governments to adopt a goal of 10,000 megawatts of wind power by 2010. We are pleased our technology has been selected to play a role in helping Canada increase its supply of wind-generated electricity.
GE's 1.5-megawatt machines are the largest wind turbines currently assembled in North America and are among the most widely sold and tested wind turbines in their size category, with more than 2,200 units installed worldwide. The wind turbines for the Magrath project will be assembled at GE Energy's facilities in Tehachapi, California.
In addition to supplying the turbines, GE will provide start-up support and operation and maintenance services through its Canadian division. Located about 200 kilometers southeast of Calgary, the Magrath Wind Power Project is Suncor's second major investment in wind power.
The company's first renewable energy initiative is SunBridge, an 11-megawatt wind power project in Saskatchewan that is a 50/50 partnership with Enbridge, Inc. The two projects are expected to provide nearly 15 percent of Canada's total installed wind power capacity.
About GE Energy
GE Energy (www.gepower.com) is one of the world's leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technology with 2003 revenues of nearly $18.5 billion. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, GE Energy provides equipment, service and management solutions across the power generation, oil and gas, transmission and distribution, distributed power and energy rental industries. With wind turbine design, manufacturing and/or assembly facilities located in Germany, Spain and the United States, GE Energy's current product portfolio includes wind turbines with rated outputs ranging from 1,500 to 3,600 kilowatts, and support services ranging from project development assistance to operation and maintenance. The company has developed and/or installed more than 6,600 wind turbines with a total capacity exceeding 4,700 megawatts.
General Electric has been active in Canada since 1892, and today has more than 9,000 employees, 20 major manufacturing plants and 160 sales and service locations in the country.
About Suncor Energy and EHN
Suncor Energy is an integrated Canadian energy company. Suncor's Oil Sands business mines and upgrades oil sands into refinery feedstock and diesel fuel, near Fort McMurray in northern Alberta. Suncor also is a conventional natural gas producer in western Canada and operates a refining and marketing business in Ontario. In addition to meeting today's energy needs, the company invests in renewable energy for the future. Suncor's common shares are listed for trading on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges.
EHN of Spain is a group of companies dedicated to the development,construction, operation and ownership of renewable energy projects.EHN is expanding its wind power expertise in North America through its wholly owned subsidiary, EHN Windpower Canada.
--30--JAH/at*
CONTACT: GE Energy, Atlanta
Dennis Murphy, +1 770 859 6948
or
Masto Public Relations
Ken Darling or Howard Masto, +1 518 786 6488
[email protected] or [email protected]