GE to supply additional 600 megawatts of wind turbines to Invenergy

GE Energy, the leading supplier of technology and services for the U.S. wind industry, will provide an additional 600 megawatts of wind turbines to Invenergy Wind LLC for 2008 projects in the United States and Canada.

Invenergy previously announced the purchase of 600 megawatts of GE Energy wind turbines for 2007 projects. The latest order brings the total to 1,200 megawatts of GE 1.5-megawatt machines for projects over the next two years – enough power for more than 300,000 homes. GE Energy's 1.5-megawatt wind turbine technology is well proven in a wide range of wind energy applications, with more than 6,000 of these machines installed worldwide.

"Working with Invenergy on such a large scale to implement a renewable energy addition to the North American grid represents one of our larger commercial agreements this year," said Victor Abate, vice president-renewables for GE Energy.

"The United States and Canada have vast wind energy resources and Invenergy continues to demonstrate strong industry leadership and innovation in the development of that potential," said Abate. "We are pleased to work with Invenergy in this growing and dynamic industry, supporting their efforts with our latest technology while we also continue to invest in new technology that will further increase the reliability and efficiency of wind power production."

"Over the past three years, Invenergy has developed and constructed more than 680 megawatts of wind energy facilities," said Michael Polsky, CEO of Invenergy. "We are excited about the future of wind energy in the United States and Canada, and are pleased to utilize GE technology to further increase the supply of clean, wind-generated electricity."

The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) recently reported that GE reinforced its position as the leading U.S. wind technology supplier by providing wind turbines representing more than 45% of the country's new wind capacity in 2006.

The AWEA reported that U.S. wind power generating capacity increased by 27% in 2006 and is expected to increase an additional 26% in 2007. The U.S. wind industry installed more than 2.4 gigawatts of wind turbines during 2006, with GE wind turbines accounting for nearly half of that total.

One of the largest sources of new power generation in the United States, wind energy has become a mainstream option for meeting a growing electricity demand. One megawatt of wind power produces enough electricity on average to serve 250 to 300 U.S. homes.

According to the AWEA, wind energy facilities currently installed in the United States will produce an estimated 31 billion kilowatt-hours annually or enough electricity to serve 2.9 million American homes. This 100% clean source of electricity will displace approximately 23 million tons of carbon dioxide – the leading greenhouse gas – each year, which would otherwise be emitted by a variety of traditional energy sources.

GE's wind turbine technology is a key element of ecomagination, the GE corporate-wide initiative to address challenges such as the need for cleaner, more efficient sources of energy, reduced emissions and abundant sources of clean water.

Invenergy Wind LLC is a subsidiary of Invenergy LLC, a developer, owner and operator of utility-scale electricity generating facilities including wind energy and natural gas-fired projects. Headquartered in Chicago, the company has comprehensive expertise in the development, financing, construction, operation and management of power generation projects serving a wide range of utilities, load serving entities and industrials.