NextEra Energy, Inc. (ticker: NEE, exchange: New York Stock Exchange (.N))
News Release -
7-Sep-2006
Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center Now Largest Wind Farm in the World JUNO BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 7, 2006--FPL Energy, LLC,
a subsidiary of FPL Group (NYSE:FPL) said today that as of the end of
August it had completed 662 megawatts of the Horse Hollow Wind Energy
Center in Texas making it the largest wind farm in the world. When the
last phase of the project is complete later this month, the Horse
Hollow Wind Energy Center will have a total capacity of 735 megawatts.
The Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center is comprised of 291 GE 1.5
megawatt wind turbines and 130 Siemens 2.3 megawatt wind turbines
spread over nearly 47,000 acres in Taylor and Nolan County, Texas. The
first phase of the project consisting of 213 megawatts was completed
in late 2005; phase two consisting of 223.5 megawatts was completed in
the second quarter of 2006; and, phase three consisting of 299
megawatts, of which 225 megawatts are already operational, is expected
to be completed by the end of September. Once Horse Hollow is
complete, FPL Energy will operate more than 1,600 megawatts of wind in
Texas alone.
"The Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center is an important new source of
clean, renewable power for the region that also provides significant
economic benefits to the area in the form of taxes, new jobs, lease
payments to landowners and the purchase of local goods and services,"
said Jim Robo, president of FPL Energy. "Projects like Horse Hollow
are possible because of the pro-business environment that exists in
Texas today as well as tremendous support from the local community.
Because of the strong support we have received in Texas, this year
alone we have invested more than $1 billion to expand our wind
business in the state and bring the benefits of this clean, renewable
energy source to tens of thousands of Texans."
FPL Energy, through its subsidiaries, currently operates 47 wind
farms throughout the U.S. with a gross capacity of 4,002 megawatts -
enough capacity to provide electricity for nearly one million average
U.S. homes. FPL Energy is currently the largest owner and operator of
wind turbines in the world. FPL Energy subsidiaries own 3,793 of the
4,002 megawatts it currently operates. Since July 2005 FPL Energy has
added approximately 880 megawatts of new wind and has more than 220
megawatts under construction and expected to reach commercial
operation by the end of the year. With a strong pipeline of wind
projects and corresponding equipment contracts in place, FPL Energy
expects to add at least 1,500 megawatts to its portfolio, excluding
acquisitions, over the course of the 2006/2007 period.
During the first half of 2006, FPL Energy's development activities
helped Texas supplant historic leader California as the top state in
cumulative wind power capacity, according to the American Wind Energy
Association (AWEA). According to AWEA, at the end of the second
quarter of 2006 Texas' cumulative total stood at 2,370 megawatts of
capacity followed by California's 2,323 megawatts. All of the
megawatts added in Texas during the first half of the year were from
FPL Energy projects.
FPL Energy is a competitive energy supplier utilizing clean fuels
such as natural gas, wind, solar, hydro-electric and nuclear to
generate electricity. It is the world's leader in wind energy, with 47
projects currently in operation in 15 states. It is a subsidiary of
FPL Group, (NYSE:FPL) one of the nation's largest providers of
electricity-related services with annual revenues of more than $11
billion. FPL Group's principal subsidiary is Florida Power & Light
Company, one of the nation's largest electric utilities, serving 4.4
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 .
CONTACT: FPL Energy, LLC, Juno Beach
Steve Stengel, 888-867-3050
SOURCE: FPL Energy, LLC
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