WIND ENERGY SOARS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH BONNEVILLE ENVIRONMENTAL FOUNDATION, BPA AND PGE

April 27, 2000 (Portland, OR) - More of our electricity may soon be provided by wind energy thanks to a unique public-private partnership announced in Portland this month. Contracts signed April 14, 2000, by Portland General Electric, the Bonneville Power Administration and the Bonneville Environmental Foundation link PGE's Clean Windsm green power sales campaign to development of the region's next wind farm project.

"PGE customers who sign up for the utility's green power offering are creating demand for new wind energy with their purchase dollars," explained Rick Weijo of PGE. "While some of the proceeds from the sale are used to pay the extra cost for an existing wind project, at least 50 per cent of the revenue is committed to the development of new wind energy projects."

BEF and Bonneville will combine PGE's commitment to buy at least eight megawatts of new wind-generated power with similar commitments from other utilities, government agencies and private companies. The aggregated demand will be used to justify a new large wind farm for the region, up to100 megawatts or more.

"Aggregating demand in this way will also drive the cost of wind-generated electricity down closer to costs of power from fossil fuels," said Angus Duncan, Bonneville Foundation president.

"Over the last two decades we've seen costs of delivered wind power decline by fifty per cent or more, to under 5¢ per kilowatt hour," noted Dennis Oster, BPA sales representative. "And that's without taking the value of the environmental advantages into account."

Duncan also noted that the Foundation's contract with PGE is its first business venture with an investor-owned utility. Until now, BEF has worked principally with BPA to sell some 17 average megawatts of green power to utilities across the four Northwest states.

"It will take the best efforts of all our utilities and consumers to return to our roots as a region that relied wholly on renewable-based electricity. If our past prosperity was based on hydroelectricity; our future must rely on a mix of hydro, wind, solar and other renewable, environmentally-preferable power sources," Duncan said.

About BEF
Bonneville Environmental Foundation was established in 1998 to further the development and use of new renewable energy resources. BEF funds projects that restore damaged watersheds and create new sources of renewable energy such as solar, wind and low-impact hydro.

Bonneville Environmental Foundation is a non-profit organization that collaborates with, but is independent of, the Bonneville Power Administration.

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