May 03, 2005 09:02 AM US Eastern Timezone
FPL Energy Begins Commercial Operation of Weatherford Wind Energy Center; Announces Plans to Expand Project by 40.5 MW
JUNO BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 3, 2005--FPL Energy, LLC, a subsidiary of FPL Group (NYSE:FPL), today announced that it has begun commercial operation at its 106.5-megawatt (MW) Weatherford Wind Energy Center, located near Weatherford, Oklahoma, and plans to expand the project by 40.5 MW.
FPL Energy has entered into an agreement with Public Service Company of Oklahoma, a wholly owned operating subsidiary of American Electric Power (NYSE:AEP), to purchase the entire output from the expansion under a long-term contract.
Today's announcement brings the total capacity of the Weatherford Wind Energy Center to 147 megawatts. Construction on the expansion will begin in the near future and is expected to be completed by year end.
Mike O'Sullivan, senior vice president of development for FPL Energy, said: "We applaud the commitment of PSO to clean, renewable wind energy. We appreciate the support we have received from our customer, the city of Weatherford and the surrounding community on making this project and its expansion a reality."
In June 2004, FPL Energy announced an agreement with PSO for the purchase of 106.5 MW of electricity from the Weatherford Wind Energy Center. Combined with today's announcement, PSO will now purchase the entire output from the 147 MW facility.
The 40.5 MW expansion will be comprised of 27 1.5 MW wind turbines located on approximately 1,400 acres southeast of the original project site.
With today's announcement, FPL Energy has completed 220.5 MW of new wind projects in 2005 and has announced an additional 261 MW that are expected to reach commercial operation by the end of the year. With the addition of the 106.5 MW from the Weatherford project, FPL Energy is currently the largest owner and operator of wind turbines in the world with more than 2,978 net MW in operation.
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 45 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 with annual revenues of more than $10 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 http://www.FPLEnergy.com, http://www.FPLGroup.com and http://www.FPL.com.
Note to Editors: High-resolution logos and executive head shots are available for download at http://www.fpl.com/news/contents/logos.shtml .
Contacts
FPL Energy, LLC, Juno Beach
Steve Stengel, 888-867-3050
