RES Americas Announces Power Purchase Agreement in Eastern Colorado

BROOMFIELD, Colo., March 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Renewable Energy Systems Americas Inc. (RES Americas), a national leader in the development and construction of renewable energy projects, executed a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Public Service Company of Colorado (PSCo) on March 29, 2010.  PSCo's agreement to purchase 252.2 megawatts (MW) of clean power from Cedar Point Wind is part of the 2009 All Source Solicitation for energy generators. Once constructed, Cedar Point Wind will be the second largest wind project in Colorado.

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Cedar Point Wind will provide the benefits of both renewable energy and job creation to the state of Colorado. The 252.2 MW project, consisting of 139 V90-1.8 MW turbines from Vestas, will produce enough energy to power roughly 68,000 Colorado homes and create 100-200 jobs during construction, with up to 12 permanent jobs once construction is completed.  The project has been developed and will be constructed by Broomfield, CO-based RES Americas and will install turbines made by Vestas in the state.

Located primarily in Lincoln and Elbert Counties, Colorado, construction of Cedar Point Wind is expected to begin in mid-2010 with commercial operation expected in 2011.  A 42-mile transmission line will also be constructed across Arapahoe County, connecting the project to PSCo's Missile Site Substation.

"The power purchase agreement with Public Service Company of Colorado represents a major milestone in the development and construction of Cedar Point Wind," said Craig Mataczynski, president of RES Americas. "We look forward to bringing investment to Eastern Colorado and to a community that has supported us throughout the project development cycle.  With the agreement in place, RES Americas is one step closer to bringing clean power and jobs to the state of Colorado."

"The Cedar Point Wind power purchase agreement is the first to be completed from the 2007 Colorado Resource Plan by Public Service Company of Colorado, an Xcel Energy company.  The project will expand the utilization of Colorado's desirable wind resource into another region of the state to deliver this clean wind energy to our customers," said Tom Imbler, Xcel Energy vice president for commercial operations.  "Not only will this project help us to meet our Renewable Energy Standard for Colorado, it will be our first wind energy purchase from a facility constructed in Colorado with wind turbines manufactured in Colorado." 

For more than a decade, RES Americas has been developing, constructing, owning, and operating renewable energy projects across the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. The company employs 240 full time professionals working throughout North America, has constructed 3,800 MW, and is working on a development portfolio of more than 12,500 MW.  RES Americas is dedicated to securing a sustainable energy future.

For more information on Cedar Point Wind, please visit http://www.cedarpointwind.com/.

Renewable Energy Systems Americas Inc. (RES Americas), is a fully-integrated renewable energy company that develops, constructs, owns, and operates projects across the United States (US), Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.  RES Americas has constructed more than 3,800 MW of wind, which represents more than 10% of the operating installed wind capacity in the US, and has over 12,500 MW in development.  RES Americas' corporate office is located in Broomfield, CO with regional offices located in Austin, TX; Portland, OR; Minneapolis, MN. Canadian projects are managed from Montreal, Quebec, by RES Canada.  RES Americas continues to seek new locations for wind and solar projects as well as opportunities to participate in other forms of renewable energy. For more information, please visit www.res-americas.com.

Xcel Energy (NYSE: XEL) is a major U.S. electricity and natural gas company with regulated operations in eight Western and Midwestern states. Xcel Energy provides a comprehensive portfolio of energy-related products and services to 3.4 million electricity customers and 1.9 million natural gas customers through its regulated operating companies. Company headquarters are located in Minneapolis.

SOURCE Renewable Energy Systems Americas Inc.