SAN DIEGO, Oct. 21, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) and enXco, a wind energy firm based in Escondido, Calif., today announced an agreement to supply 205.5 megawatts (MW) of electricity to utility customers. In addition, SDG&E has issued two requests for offers (RFOs) to increase its growing portfolio of energy derived from renewable resources, including wind, solar and geothermal.
The contract, which must be approved by the California Public Utilities Commission, calls for the construction of a 205.5-MW wind facility in Southern California, which will begin deliveries in 2007-08. New transmission lines will be needed to gain access to the energy. A megawatt is enough to power approximately 1,000 homes.
"We are pleased that we will be providing more renewable energy to meet our customers' needs," said William L. Reed, senior vice president, regulatory and strategic planning at SDG&E. "We are continuing our aggressive efforts to tap more renewable energy for our customers."
SDG&E's goal is to supply 20 percent of its customers' electricity needs from renewable resources like wind, solar and geothermal by 2010. The contract will contribute approximately 3.5 percent toward meeting its goal. To date, SDG&E has contractually secured a total of 13.3 percent of its retail delivery needs from renewable energy resources.
"We are delighted to enter into this new and major contract with SDG&E," said David Corchia, enXco CEO. "Following on our groundbreaking 60-MW Oasis Project -- successfully built in less than three months at the end of last year -- we are very excited with the opportunity of bringing more green power to a leading U.S. utility.
"The new PACIFIC WIND Project and its 200-plus MWs mark another important step toward achieving our plan to make enXco the leading development house in California and across the United States. Our target is to develop more than 700 MW of wind projects in California during the 2004-07 period, and we are on track."
SDG&E also recently issued two RFOs, seeking to increase its portfolio of renewable sources. One seeks bids from all qualifying renewable developers to supply at least 1 MW, if the facility is in San Diego County, or a minimum of 5 MW if outside the county. Developers may propose projects for delivery anywhere on the ISO grid.
The second RFO seeks bids to place 1 MW to 3 MW of photovoltaic solar panels on SDG&E rooftops and possibly on other facilities, and also requests offers to supply a number of small wind turbines to be located at utility facilities. All bids for both RFOs must be received no later than Nov. 16, 2005.
SDG&E is a regulated public utility that provides safe and reliable energy service to 3.3 million consumers through 1.3 million electric meters and more than 800,000 natural gas meters in San Diego and southern Orange counties. The utility's area spans 4,100 square miles. Exceptional customer service is a priority of SDG&E as it seeks to enhance the region's quality of life. SDG&E is a regulated subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE). Sempra Energy, based in San Diego, is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company. To learn more, go to www.sdge.com.
enXco develops, constructs, operates and manages wind energy projects throughout the United States. Since 1987, enXco has grown to be the fourth-largest owner of wind-energy installations in the United States (298 MW) and one of the largest operation and maintenance providers for wind farms, currently servicing more than 4,000 turbines and more than 1,000 MW. Since 2002, enXco has been an affiliate of EdF Energies Nouvelles. To learn more about enXco, go to www.enXco.com.