News

E.ON Climate & Renewables Begins Construction of the Papalote Creek Wind Farm
San Patricio County Wind Farm is EC&R’s First Project in South Texas

TAFT, TEXAS – April 22, 2009 – E.ON Climate & Renewables (EC&R) North America officially announced today the commencement of construction on its Papalote Creek wind farm, located 30 miles north of Corpus Christi in San Patricio County. The 109 turbine wind farm will provide 179.85 megawatts (MW) of power – enough to power nearly 54,000 homes.“The development of the Papalote Creek wind farm emphasizes EC&R’s commitment to the long-term investment and development of high-quality renewable energy projects in Texas and throughout the United States,” said Declan Flanagan, chief executive officer, EC&R North America. “We are pleased construction has begun begin on this wind farm and grateful for the ongoing support from the community.”
 
Last year, EC&R and CPS Energy of San Antonio signed a 15-year power purchase agreement for a majority of the output from the Papalote Creek wind farm. Under the agreement, CPS Energy will purchase 115.5 MW of electricity and associated renewable energy credits.  
 
“CPS Energy is proud to partner with E.ON Climate & Renewables and significantly add to our renewable energy capacity,” said Richard Peña, CPS Energy’s vice president of fossil generation. “This acquisition will further solidify our number one ranking nationally in the amount of wind energy capacity among municipally owned utilities.”
 
The project is being built by Mortenson Construction and will include 109 turbines manufactured by Vestas Wind System. Construction is expected to last through September, with final completion during the fourth quarter of 2009.“We are excited E.ON Climate & Renewables is investing in our community,” said The Honorable Terry Simpson, San Patricio County judge. “The Papalote Creek wind farm is an important economic driver for San Patricio County and the Greater Corpus Christi area.”
 
By mid-2009, EC&R will complete the fourth and final phase of the world’s largest wind farm in Roscoe, Texas with 627 wind turbines and a total capacity of 781.5 MW. EC&R currently has an installed capacity of 1,139 MW in the United States, including:

About EC&R
E.ON Climate & Renewables (EC&R) is responsible for activities of the E.ON group in renewable energy sources and environmental protection around the world. Tapping renewable energy sources offers enormous alternatives, both from a business perspective and for the environment. E.ON Climate & Renewables will invest over €6 billion in renewable energy and environmental protection projects by 2010 to expand the share of renewable energy sources in the E.ON portfolio for the long term. E.ON has thus taken a leading role in developing renewable energy sources worldwide. For more information, see www.eon.com.
 
About CPS Energy
CPS Energy is the nation’s largest municipally owned energy company providing both natural gas and electric service. Acquired by the City of San Antonio in 1942, the company serves approximately 690,000 electric customers and almost 320,000 natural gas customers in and around America’s seventh-largest city. CPS Energy ranks among the nation’s lowest-cost energy providers and owns the highest financial ratings of any electric system in the United States. For more CPS Energy information, visit www.cpsenergy.com.