| Press Release Archive
City Council approves purchase of more
wind power for Austin
The winds of change keep blowing from West
Texas to Austin.
The Austin City Council approved today a
contract for Austin Energy to purchase an additional 25 megawatts
of wind power from West Texas - adding to the 86 MW that are
already available to the community through Austin Energy's
nationally recognized GreenChoiceSM Renewable Energy Program.
Because it is expected that GreenChoice
will sell out its current allotment of green power, the Council
approved a 10-year, $22.9 million contract with Cielo Wind
Power of Austin. Austin Energy will purchase from Cielo the
power generated by 20 wind turbines that will be constructed
on Miller Ranch 50 miles southeast of Lubbock. This is in
addition to a 10-year contract for the 76 MW output of 59
wind turbines constructed this summer south of Midland. Austin
Energy also contracts for 10 MW of wind power from the Lower
Colorado River Authority.
The additional 20 wind turbines - expected
to be completed in a year - will deliver electricity sufficient
to power 7,000 homes.
More than 6,000 Austin residential customers,
115 small businesses and 25 large companies have subscribed
to GreenChoice since the program began last year. Subscriptions
to the program total 190 million kilowatt-hours of electricity
annually - or enough electricity to power more than 15,000
average-sized homes year-round.
A key feature of the program is that subscribers
see the fuel charge on their electric bill replaced with a
green power charge that remains fixed for the full 10-year-life
of green power contracts. The green power charge currently
is only one-sixth of a cent per kWh more than the standard
fuel charge, representing the most affordable green power
in the country.
Editor's Note: Beta or digital
wind power tape available upon request.
For more information, contact Ed
Clark, Public Information.
Phone: (512) 322-6514
Pager: (512) 802-2000
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