Columbus, Ohio – Six generation and transmission cooperatives located across the U.S. — including Buckeye Power, Inc. (Ohio), PowerSouth Energy Cooperative (serving Alabama and Florida), Wabash Valley Power Association (serving several Midwest states including Indiana), Hoosier Energy (serving Indiana and Illinois), Central Iowa Power Cooperative (CIPCO) and North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation — today announced that their historic joint support of a renewable energy project has culminated with the commercial operation of the 150-MW Story County Wind Energy Center located in Story County, Iowa. The project is owned and operated by a subsidiary of FPL Energy and began commercial operation earlier this month.

This is believed to be the first time several G&T cooperatives operating in different regions of the country have banded together to reap the benefits of a large-scale wind project.

The project will provide varying amounts of energy to each of the six G&Ts under separate purchased power agreements (PPAs).

The decision of all six cooperatives to participate in the project through PPAs, the hard work and determination of FPL Energy to get the project completed, and the contract origination and coordination activities of the ACES Power marketing (an energy risk management and transaction execution services owned by five of the six participants) were all critical to the successful commercial launch of the Story County Wind Energy Center.

Participating jointly gave each G&T the ability to spread any risks associated with the project, and to participate on a pro-rata basis (i.e., take only the megawatt quantity desired) in a sizeable and viable project with a highly regarded developer in a wind-rich region.

PowerSouth’s PPA is for 20 megawatts of the wind farm’s output.

“We are committed to expanding our renewable energy resources as long as we can continue to provide cost-effective, reliable power to our consumers,” said Gary Smith, PowerSouth President and CEO. “This project allows us to obtain the benefits of wind power without the larger risks.”

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About PowerSouth:
PowerSouth serves the wholesale energy needs of 16 electric cooperatives and four municipal electric systems in Alabama and northwest Florida, with 800,000 consumers in 39 Alabama and 10 Florida counties. PowerSouth is dedicated to providing reliable energy at the lowest possible cost to its members.

For more information:
Mark Ingram, Corporate Communication Manager
334.427.3330
mark.ingram@powersouth.com
www.powersouth.com

PowerSouth is an EEO and AAP employer