The Clearwater Wind Energy Center helped PGE
generate more than one gigawatt of power
from wind sources alone for the first time in company
history
PORTLAND, Ore., Nov. 13,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In its first ten months serving
PGE customers, the Clearwater Wind Energy Center contributed to new
records for PGE wind generation, including helping the company
produce one gigawatt of power from wind sources alone – a new
milestone. One gigawatt (or 1,000 megawatts) is enough electricity
to power the equivalent of 830,000 homes, or about half the number
of homes in Oregon.
The Clearwater Wind Energy Center, located in Rosebud, Custer, and Garfield counties in Eastern Montana, was developed in four phases
by a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, which operates
and owns part of the facility. PGE owns 208 megawatts of the center
and purchases an additional 103 megawatts through a Power Purchase
Agreement, supplying customers a total of 311 megawatts.
The portions of the facility serving PGE customers achieved
commercial operations by January 2024
and take advantage of consistent winds from the vast plains of the
Treasure State. Alongside other renewable energy projects in the
Pacific Northwest, the Clearwater Wind Energy Center adds diversity
and consistency to PGE's energy portfolio, allowing the company to
source power for customers when it's available from a variety of
resource types and locations.
With Montana's abundant and
consistent wind, the Clearwater Wind Energy Center delivers high
levels of production during the winter and summer, allowing PGE to
serve Oregon customers additional
reliable clean energy during periods of high demand. In
January 2024, PGE's owned and
contracted wind facilities produced a maximum output of more than
one gigawatt of wind power for the first time, thanks in large part
to the addition of the Clearwater Wind Energy Center. This
milestone was achieved again on another 25 days throughout 2024,
including on February 26, when PGE
reached its all-time record for maximum wind generation at 1,056
megawatts. In addition to the Clearwater Wind Energy Center, which
consistently contributes about 34% of PGE's daily wind generation,
PGE also operates wind facilities in the Columbia River
Gorge.
The Clearwater Wind Energy Center was selected through PGE's
2021 Request for Proposal, a competitive bidding process through
which the company solicits proposals for electricity generation
facilities that bring value to customers.
"In just a few short years, we were able to take the Clearwater
Wind Energy Center from a proposal on paper to the efficient,
productive facility it is today," said Maria Pope, PGE President and CEO, at an event
in September celebrating the commissioning of the facility. "This
plant is an example of how working together, we can act quickly to
solve some of the biggest challenges facing the energy
industry."
The emissions-free power generated at the facility is delivered
to PGE customers through existing transmission lines on
Northwestern and Bonneville Power Administration's system, as well
as an approximately 100-mile generation-tie line connecting to the
Colstrip substation. The wind
center's addition to PGE's generation portfolio also reduces the
need to purchase potentially costly or greenhouse gas-emitting
resources from the open energy market, and takes advantage of
federal Production Tax Credits available to renewable energy
projects.
"The Clearwater Wind Energy Center is an important component of
the future of the Western clean energy landscape," said
Maria Pope. "Sourcing energy from
diverse geographies improves reliability at lower costs for
customers."
During each phase of construction, the Clearwater Wind Energy
Center created up to 350 jobs and continues to employ operations
workers onsite, while generating revenue for the local community.
Wind power continues to be an important piece of PGE's portfolio as
the company works to decarbonize while providing reliable,
affordable electricity to customers.
View or download b-roll, photos, and videos of the
Clearwater Wind Energy Center.
About Portland General Electric Company:
Portland General Electric (NYSE: POR) is an integrated energy
company that generates, transmits and distributes electricity to
over 930,000 customers serving an area of 1.9 million Oregonians.
For more than 130 years, Portland General Electric (PGE) has
powered social progress delivering safe, affordable, reliable and
increasingly clean electricity while working to transform energy
systems to meet evolving customer needs. PGE has the largest
voluntary renewable energy program in the country and was ranked
the No. 1 utility in the 2024 Forrester U.S. Customer Experience
Index. PGE is committed to reducing emissions from its retail power
supply by 80% by 2030 and 100% by 2040. PGE is recognized by the
Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index for the company's commitment to
creating a more equal, inclusive workplace. In 2023, PGE employees,
retirees and the PGE Foundation donated nearly $4.6 million and volunteered over 23,000
volunteer hours to more than 400 nonprofit organizations. For more
information: portlandgeneral.com/news
Safe Harbor Statement
Statements in this news release that relate to future plans,
objectives, expectations, performance, events and the like may
constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking
statements include statements regarding the company's future energy
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technologies and renewable energy into the grid; statements
regarding acquisition, construction, completion, and operation of
generating and battery storage facilities; as well as other
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replacement power costs; the costs of compliance with environmental
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and energy markets conditions, which could affect the availability
and cost of purchased power and fuel; changes in capital market
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and result in delay or cancellation of capital projects; failure to
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the counterparty to perform under the agreements, or the
abandonment of capital projects, which could result in the
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All forward-looking statements included in this news release are
based on information available to the company on the date hereof
and such statements speak only as of the date hereof. The company
assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statement.
Prospective investors should also review the risks and
uncertainties listed in the company's most recent annual report on
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including management's discussion and analysis of financial
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from time to time.
Contact Info:
PGE Communications,
PGECommunications@pgn.com; 503-464-2067
Source: Portland General Company
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