WFEC to Purchase Output from Rocky Ridge Wind Project

Contact: July 9, 2012 Sondra Boykin, Communications Coordinator Western Farmers Electric Cooperative (405) 760-7659 WFEC to Purchase Output from Rocky Ridge Wind Project

ANADARKO, OKLA. - Enel Green Power, through its US subsidiary Enel Green Power North America Inc. (EGP NA), has started operations at the Rocky Ridge Wind Project, located in Kiowa and Washita counties, Oklahoma. The energy generated by the new wind farm will be purchased by Western Farmers Electric Cooperative (WFEC), a generation and transmission (G&T) cooperative, headquartered in Anadarko, Okla.

This new wind development has a total installed nameplate capacity of about 150 megawatts (MW), and is composed of 93 General Electric turbines of 1.6 MW each. Rocky Ridge spreads over 18,000 acres of land leased from 75 owners. The wind farm created some 150 jobs during construction, and now that it is fully operational, about 10 for plant management and maintenance.

The developer for the Rocky Ridge site was TradeWind Energy LLC, which is headquartered in Lenexa, Kan.

For WFEC, the Rocky Ridge site represents the fourth wind farm development that is a part of an ongoing commitment to diversify the G&T cooperative’s portfolio of generation sources. WFEC is purchasing the output of these four projects, which have a 366 MW nameplate rating, through long-term power purchase agreements. With the latest purchase, the energy output from the above facilities will amount to approximately 15 to 16 percent of WFEC’s annual wholesale energy.

“Wind is an important part of WFEC’s diverse mix of generation, and plays an integral part in our overall commitment to renewable energy, as well as enabling the ability to reduce fossil fuel emissions,” commented WFEC CEO Gary Roulet. Meeting the needs of 23 distribution cooperatives and Altus Air Force Base, in addition to playing an active role in technological advances aimed at reducing carbon, are essential in meeting future WFEC goals, Roulet added.

“WFEC has been a leader in utility scale wind farms within Oklahoma since signing the state’s first power purchase agreement with a wind farm developer back in 2003,” commented Brian Hobbs, vice president, legal and corporate services. “We have had a good working relationship with both TradeWind Energy and Enel Green Power through the development of this site and are pleased to add the output from this new wind farm into our fuel mix,” Hobbs pointed out.

“With Rocky Ridge, Enel Green Power continues its solid growth in the United States, which has one of the most open and competitive markets in the world,” stated Enel Green Power CEO Francesco Starace. “Such an achievement demonstrates our consolidated capacity to execute important investments quickly and with satisfactory returns.” Other wind farm locations, from which WFEC receives output, include:  Blue Canyon Wind Farm (Phase 1), northwest of Lawton, 74.25 MW.  Red Hills Wind Farm, near Elk City, 123 MW.  Buffalo Bear Wind Project, near Fort Supply, 18.9 MW.

WFEC does not currently retain or retire all of the environmental attributes with these wind power purchases. A portion of the Renewable Energy Credits (REC) produced by these wind generating facilities are sold on a retail basis to WFEC cooperative members through the WindWorks program, with the remaining RECs sold at the wholesale level to third parties.

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Western Farmers Electric Cooperative (WFEC) is a generation and transmission (G&T) cooperative that provides essential electric service to 23 member cooperatives, Altus Air Force Base and other power users. These members are located primarily in Oklahoma and New Mexico, with some service territories extending into portions of Texas and Kansas. WFEC has five generating facilities located at Mooreland, Anadarko and Hugo, with a total power capacity of more than 1,700 megawatts (MW) when purchased hydropower is included, in addition to 366 MW of wind energy contracted. WFEC owns and maintains approximately 3,650 miles of transmission line to 272 substations and 57 switch stations. WFEC maintains a well-balanced and diversified portfolio of generation resources that includes owned facilities and capacity and energy provided through power purchase agreements. These resources reflect a mix of technologies and fuel types, including one of the state’s largest renewable energy portfolios.

Enel Green Power North America, subsidiary of Enel Green Power, is a leader in the North American renewable energy sector, with plants operating or under construction in 21 US states and three Canadian provinces. EGP NA operates and manages more than 70 plants, with an installed capacity in hydroelectric, wind, geothermal, solar and biomass of 1,238 MW, including the new Rocky Ridge plant.

Enel Green Power is the Enel Group company fully dedicated to the development and management of renewable energy sources at the international level, with operations in Europe and the Americas. The company generated 22.5 billion kWh in 2011 from water, sun, wind and the Earth’s heat - enough to meet the energy needs of more than 8 million households and avoid the emission of over 16 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. Enel Green Power is a world leader thanks to its well-balanced generation mix, providing generation volumes well over the sector average. The Company has an installed capacity of over 7,100 MW from a mix of sources including wind, solar, hydroelectric, geothermal, and biomass. Currently, EGP has over 650 operational plants in 16 countries in Europe and the Americas.

TradeWind Energy, LLC, is one of the largest independent wind project development companies in the U.S. Founded in 2003, the Lenexa, Kan., based company partners with local utilities, cooperatives, environmental groups, municipalities and landowners to develop mutually beneficial wind energy projects. TradeWind Energy, the 2009 recipient of the Kansas Governor’s Energy Achievement Award, takes great pride in its ability to deliver low-cost wind energy while maintaining an uncompromising commitment to long-term project quality. The company is actively developing 4,500 MW of clean, renewable energy in 11 states throughout the central United States. TradeWind Energy developed the 250 megawatt Smoky Hills Wind Project located in central Kansas – the largest wind project in the state. For more information, visit www.tradewindenergy.com.