RES Americas Begins Construction on Lower Snake River Wind Project

BROOMFIELD, Colo., May 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Renewable Energy Systems Americas Inc. (RES Americas), a national leader in the development and construction of renewable energy projects, has started balance of plant (BOP) construction on the 343 megawatt (MW) Lower Snake River (LSR) Wind Project (Phase I).  BOP construction includes all infrastructure of the project (roads, foundation, electrical infrastructure and other structures) and specifically excludes the supply, installation and commissioning of wind turbines.

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The 343 MW project will consist of 149 2.3 MW Siemens turbines installed on nearly 40,000 acres of leased farmland near the town of Pomeroy in Garfield County, Washington.  Phase I of the Lower Snake River Wind Project is expected to generate enough clean, renewable energy to power more than 100,000 average American homes and will create up to 150 temporary jobs during construction.

RES Americas is committed to using local labor and subcontractors for construction on all project sites.  Several regional vendors have already been engaged for the Lower Snake River Wind Project for road construction.  Additional local contracts will be rewarded as construction progresses.

RES Americas sold its interest in the project's development assets to Puget Sound Energy (PSE) in 2009, at which time PSE assumed the role of owner and developer of the Lower Snake River Wind Project; RES Americas is serving as the project's prime construction contractor. PSE is Washington's oldest energy utility with more than one million electric customers in 11 counties. RES Americas and PSE have a history of joint development partnerships in Washington including the Hopkins Ridge (156 MW) and Wild Horse Wind (273 MW) facilities.

"RES Americas is excited to once again call PSE a trusted partner.  PSE and RES Americas have worked well together on many construction and development projects to meet Washington's long term energy needs," said Andrew Fowler, executive vice president of construction for RES Americas.  "RES Americas is proud of our accomplishments in the northwest region where we have a record of providing economical and environmental benefits to local and regional communities.  We look forward to continuing this relationship with Washingtonians into the future."

"We're excited about constructing Phase I of the Lower Snake River Wind Project, our third major wind facility," said Kimberly Harris, executive vice president and chief resource officer for PSE. "This project builds on our success with Hopkins Ridge and Wild Horse, which are already generating 430 MW of clean, renewable power."

RES Americas boasts the in-house capabilities required to develop, construct, own, and operate successful renewable energy projects: choosing sites and designing a project for the maximum power performance and minimum local impact, carrying it through the planning and permitting stages, including environmental assessment and financing, construction and operation of a renewable generation project. The company prioritizes the reality that projects are designed to generate power at the most competitive prices.

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 more than 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 RES Americas, please visit http://www.res-americas.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 its affiliate, 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.

SOURCE Renewable Energy Systems Americas Inc.