Governor Brian Schweitzer: 189 MW of New Wind Energy in Montana – $605 Million Investment by NaturEner in Rim Rock Project

Today Governor Schweitzer announced that NaturEner USA, LLC has secured a $320 million construction loan and a tax equity investment of $285 million that will allow the company to commence construction on the 189 megawatt Rim Rock wind power project.

"This is big news for Montana and the Hi-Line with another $605 million of investment in wind energy development. It will create hundreds of good paying construction jobs and be a sustainable property tax base for local governments," said Governor Brian Schweitzer.

Governor Schweitzer hosted a meeting of NaturEner, Enbridge (the owner of the MATL transmission line), Western Area Power Administration (the federal financier of the MATL Line) and NaturEner’s lenders on November 30th to insure the advancement of the necessary agreements to move the projects’ development forward.

"Without the continued help and work of Governor Schweitzer this project would not have advanced. Specifically, we appreciate his bringing all the parties together in one place for a face-to-face meeting on November 30th to coordinate and secure the major investments needed to get to work. Governor Schweitzer’s efforts throughout this process have been instrumental to our project’s success," said Jose M Sanchez-Seara, CEO of NaturEner.

Rim Rock is a 189 MW wind farm project located in Glacier and Toole Counties, Montana consisting of 126 Acciona AW-77 1.5 MW turbines. The project area encompasses approximately 21,000 acres of private land. The project is expected to generate enough energy to power more than 60,000 homes and will offset more than 389,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions per year.

San Francisco, California-based NaturEner USA, LLC ("NaturEner"), a renewable energy company, announces that it has secured a $320 million construction loan with Morgan Stanley that will enable construction of the 189 megawatt ("MW") Rim Rock wind power project.  NaturEner has given full notice to proceed to its contractors and expects Rim Rock to achieve commercial operation by the end of 2012.  

Once the project has reached commercial operation, San Diego Gas & Electric Company ("SDG&E") is expected to make a tax-equity capital contribution in the project of approximately $285 million, subject to satisfaction of certain conditions. The tax-equity investment has been approved by both the California Public Utilities Commission ("CPUC") and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ("FERC").

Jose M Sanchez-Seara, CEO of NaturEner, stated, "Rim Rock is an innovative project that is the result of tremendous effort not only from our team but also our partners at Morgan Stanley and SDG&E.  We have been thrilled with the broad support we have received for Rim Rock from landowners, ratepayer advocates, the Montana government, labor unions and other stakeholders.  Rim Rock is our third Montana-based project and we are excited to be building it this year."

The Montana-based Rim Rock project will generate 189 MW and, under a "Green Attribute Purchase and Sale Agreement," SDG&E will procure the renewable component of the Rim Rock output and use it to meet California’s Renewable Portfolio Standard or "RPS" goal, which is now 33 percent by the year 2020.  The tax-equity investment, the first for a California regulated utility, is a unique transaction designed to pass through to SDG&E’s customers lower utility financing costs.  Rim Rock’s wind power will contribute about 3.5 percent of SDG&E’s renewable portfolio per year.

Morgan Stanley is also the physical off-taker pursuant to a long-term fixed-price Power Purchase Agreement.  Power from Rim Rock is expected to be shipped within the Western Interconnection, encompassing several western States and Alberta and British Columbia.  The project will have access to transmission via the Montana Alberta Tie Line ("MATL") using the 300 MW of transmission rights awarded to NaturEner during FERC-compliant open season processes conducted in 2005 and 2006.

MATL received financing from the Western Area Power Administration ("WAPA"), an agency of the U.S. Department of Energy, under WAPA’s Transmission Infrastructure Program.  This program was created to implement the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act provisions aimed at aiding or facilitating transmission projects that deliver power generated from renewable resources.  MATL was acquired in October 2011 by Calgary-based Enbridge Inc.  Enbridge announced in November 2011 that it expects MATL to be placed in service in mid-2012.

Mr. Sanchez-Seara added, "The strong financial backing of the U.S. Department of Energy, carried out through WAPA, has enabled MATL which, together with incentives such as the Production Tax Credit, has allowed Rim Rock to proceed.  We greatly appreciate the US Government’s support for renewable energy generation and the transmission lines that allow them to deliver the energy to markets across North America."
About Rim Rock

Rim Rock is a 189 MW wind farm project located in Glacier and Toole Counties, Montana consisting of 126 Acciona AW-77 1.5 MW turbines.  The project area encompasses approximately 21,000 acres of private land.  The project is expected to generate enough energy to power more than 60,000 homes and will offset more than 389,000 metric  tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. 

About the Company

NaturEner USA, LLC owns and operates the combined 210 MW Glacier Wind projects, located near Ethridge, Montana. Production from the Glacier projects is managed by NaturEner through its wind only Balancing Authority, Power Watch, from the NaturEner Operations Center, a fully enabled, state-of-the-art, 24/7, real-time desk located in San Francisco.  

Glacier 1 has been in operation since 2008 and Glacier 2 since 2009.  Since the first MWh was produced by Glacier 1, the Glacier projects together have generated more than 1,500 GWh of green energy, enough to power approximately 50,000 homes per year, and have offset nearly 900,000 metric tonnes of CO2 emissions. 

NaturEner Energy Canada Inc., an affiliate of NaturEner USA, LLC, is developing wind power projects in Alberta, Canada with more than 500 MW under development, including 375 MW in late-stage development.

NaturEner USA, LLC and NaturEner Energy Canada Inc. are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Spain-based Grupo NaturEner, S.A. which develops, owns, and operates renewable energy facilities in three different countries comprising mini-hydro, solar photovoltaic, and wind. 
For additional information, contact Maria Luisa Beveridge at 415-217-5509.
Further information about NaturEner is available at http://www.naturener.net.

Montana Wind Energy Facts:

· Montana had just 1 MW of wind power online in January 2005, and with the completion of the Rim Rock project, there will soon be 575 MW of wind power generated in the state.

· Montana is ranked #1 in wind potential for high quality winds of class 3 and above.

· Since 2005 including the Rim Rock project, $1.5 billion is being invested in Montana wind development.

Montana has over 50 wind and transmission line projects in various stages of development across the state.