Iberdrola Renewables signs 100-MW PPA with San Diego Gas & Electric for its 189-MW Manzana Wind Power Project near Rosamond, California

Tracy McDonald

PORTLAND, Oregon , February 16, 2012 (press release) – Project creates more than 300 California construction and operations jobs

Iberdrola Renewables today announced a 20-year contract to sell 100 MW from its Manzana Wind Power Project, a wind farm currently under construction near Rosamond, Calif., in the wind-rich Tehachapi region, to San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), a repeat customer.

“Iberdrola Renewables is delighted to continue our relationship with SDG&E,” said Martin Mugica, executive vice president of Iberdrola Renewables. “This 100-MW power purchase agreement from our Manzana project now under construction in Kern County will strongly support SDG&E’s efforts in meeting California renewable portfolio standard (RPS) requirements.”

The project will provide up to 189 MW of energy, representing a reduction in green house gas emissions comparable to removing more than 21,500 cars off of California’s roads for one year.

Ninety of the GE turbine “nacelles” used for the Project -- those Winnebago-sized components on top of the tower that house the generators, gearboxes, drive trains and brake assemblies – were manufactured less than an hour’s drive from the Manzana site at GE’s Tehachapi factory. The rest were manufactured in Florida. The turbine towers were delivered through the Port of San Diego.

About three-quarters of the turbines are already erected with construction of the operations and maintenance building as well as substation, collector system and transmission construction underway. Manzana is expected to create approximately 290 construction jobs, and 12 Iberdrola Renewables permanent operations and maintenance staff with approximately another 8 to 9 contractors during the warranty period.

The Manzana project will support the local economy with property tax payments expected to be in the millions of dollars over the life of the project. The property taxes will support schools, public health, fire, library and other necessary services in Kern County.

Construction is being managed by Avon, Minn.-based Blattner Energy, with the majority of subcontracted work performed by California companies including:

Conco Pumping, Fontana – Concrete pumping
System 3 Inc., Carmichael – Tower wiring & grounding
RMR Equipment Rental, Castaic – Water trucks
CSI Contractors Inc., Bakersfield – O&M building
Soils Engineering, Bakersfield – Survey services
Earth Systems, Palmdale – Inspection & materials testing
PAR Electrical Contractors, Fontana – Gen-tie line and 220kV substation construction
Rosendin Electric Inc., San Jose – 34.5kV Collector systems
Granite Construction, Lancaster – Road improvements
MCM Construction, North Highlands – Aqueduct bridges

More than 70 percent of the nacelles for the project turbines are being manufactured at General Electric manufacturing facilities in Tehachapi. Other California parts, materials and equipment providers include:

General Electric, Carson – Down tower assemblies
Bragg Crane Service, Mojave – Off-site storage crane service
Pacific Coast Steel, San Bernardino – Rebar fabrication
Holliday Readymix, Mojave – Concrete supply
Granite Construction, Lancaster – Aggregate supply

Iberdrola Renewables, Inc. is the U.S. division of parent company IBERDROLA, S.A., an energy pioneer with the largest renewable asset base of any company in the world. IBERDROLA, S.A. is Spain’s number-one energy group and one of the five largest electricity companies in the world by market cap. A company with a 110-year history and roots in hydroelectric power, IBERDROLA, S.A. employs over 33,000 people in more than 40 countries and has placed the environment and sustainable development at the center of its global strategy. Iberdrola Renewables, Inc. is headquartered in Portland, Oregon, currently operates approximately 5,000 MW of wind and employs more than 850 people in the U.S.

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