MILWAUKEE, March 29 /PRNewswire/ — We Energies has purchased 88 wind turbines from Vestas Wind Systems for construction of the Blue Sky Green Field wind project in Fond du Lac County. Each Vestas V82 turbine is capable of producing 1.65 megawatts of electricity for a project total of 145 megawatts, enough energy to power approximately 36,000 homes.
This represents the state’s largest wind project to date.
Construction is expected to begin in summer 2007 and will take approximately one year to complete. Six months will be needed for site preparation and the installation of turbine foundations and cabling. An additional six months will be required for turbine erection, assembly, and commissioning.
Vestas’ core business comprises the development, manufacture, sale, marketing and maintenance of wind power systems that use wind energy to generate electricity. Vestas has a long history of wind development. Headquartered in Denmark, the company began manufacturing wind turbines in 1979 and has installed more than 32,500 wind turbines in more than 60 countries worldwide. To date, more than 800-V82-1.65 MW wind turbines have been installed.
“We are pleased with the equipment selection and purchase agreement we have with Vestas,” said Rick Kuester, executive vice president of Wisconsin Energy Corporation, the parent company of We Energies. “Throughout the selection process we evaluated a number of turbine models and vendors to ensure we received favorable economics and technology that is well suited to the project site. The Vestas V82 turbine has proven to be the most competitive and is available for the earliest delivery dates.”
“Vestas began a relationship with We Energies in 1999 with the supply of We Energies’ first wind turbines located in the town of Byron and we are very pleased to be part of the much larger Blue Sky Green Field wind project,” said Jens Soby, president of Vestas-Americas. “We Energies has selected an excellent turbine and we look forward to working closely with them to make this project a great success.”
The wind farm will be located in the towns of Calumet and Marshfield in northeast Fond du Lac County and is expected to cost approximately $300 million. The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin issued a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for the project on February 1, 2007.
To learn more about the Blue Sky Green Field wind project, please visit http://www.we-energies.com/ .
We Energies serves more than 1.1 million electric customers in Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and more than 1 million natural gas customers in Wisconsin. Its energy prices are approximately 10 percent below the average for major U.S. cities. We Energies is the trade name of Wisconsin Electric Power Company and Wisconsin Gas LLC, the principal utility subsidiaries of Wisconsin Energy Corporation (NYSE:WEC) . Visit the We Energies Web site at http://www.we-energies.com/ . Learn more about Wisconsin Energy Corporation by visiting http://www.wisconsinenergy.com/ .
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements contained herein are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon management’s current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties, including those matters described under the heading “Factors Affecting Results, Liquidity and Capital Resources” in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and under the headings “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward- Looking Information” and “Risk Factors” contained in Wisconsin Electric Power Company’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006 and other factors described in subsequent reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in the statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements may be identified by reference to a future period or periods or by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “forecasts,” “intends,” “may,” “objectives,” “plans,” “possible,” “potential,” “projects” or similar terms or variations of these terms. We expressly disclaim any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
