HUGE COLORADO WIND FARM: ON TIME, ON BUDGET, SAFE AND ONLINE

Big wind installations are going up all over the country. Folks like Babcock & Brown are busy defying counterproductive national political policies and asserting the inevitable logic of wind energy.

Babcock & Brown and BP Announce Full Commercial Operation of One of the Largest Wind Farms in the U.S.
January 3, 2008 (PR Newswire via Yahoo Finance)

WHO
Babcock & Brown, BP Alternative Energy North America, General contractor Mortenson Construction, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter

WHAT
The Babcock & Brown/BP Alternative Energy 300.5 megawatt Cedar Creek wind farm is fully operational as of January 3, having been delivered “on time, on budget and without a single lost time incident.”

Add 300 megawatts for Colorado. (click to enlarge)

WHEN
- Construction began in December 2006.
- 280.5 megawatts went operational in November 2007.
- The last 20 megawatts came online January 3.

WHERE
- The Cedar Creek wind farm is 8 miles east of Grover in north-central Weld County, Colorado.
- Babcock & Brown was founded in San Francisco, is based in Australia and operates 3000 megawatts of wind energy around the world.
- BP Alternative Energy North America Inc. is among the big U.S. wind developers with 100+ potential projects of over 15,000 megawatts.

The price of wind energy-generated electricity is completely competitive with other energy sources. (click to enlarge)

WHY
- The wind farm consists of 274 turbines.
- Full-time staff at Cedar Creek of 30+ workers.
- Cedar Creek is one of the largest single-build wind projects ever in the U.S.
- All electricity produced by the wind farm is already sold to Xcel Energy Inc. subsidiary Public Service Company of Colorado.

QUOTES
- Colorado Governor Bill Ritter: "Cedar Creek will be a long-term contributor to Colorado's New Energy Economy, providing enough wind-powered electricity for 90,000 Colorado homes…The folks who built Cedar Creek have shown how a project like this can be done in the right way -- working with landowners and local elected officials and building a major project with a superb safety record. They have set a high standard and we're pleased to have the Cedar Creek project in Colorado."

The sun is rising on Cedar Creek Wind Farm and wind energy. (click to enlarge)

- Mike Garland, Babcock & Brown Americas Infrastructure Group: "The completion of Cedar Creek brings one of the state's largest wind farms to full capacity, providing a significant source of in-state, renewable energy, as well as an exciting economic development in Weld County…"
- Bob Malone, chairman/president, BP America: "Today marks an important step for BP in helping Colorado increase its important role as a provider of energy to help meet growing state and national demands. We appreciate Colorado's support of the Cedar Creek project -- it's a win, win for Colorado consumers and local landowners, and helps achieve important national energy and economic objectives."