SeaWest Produces More Electricity With Fewer Wind Turbines; Gov. Davis Celebrates New Wind Turbine Technology At SeaWest WindPower Event

Business Wire, Nov 17, 1999

INDIAN WELLS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 17, 1999--

California Gov. Gray Davis today joined SeaWest WindPower Inc. in celebrating the growth of the wind energy market and the technological innovations that are making it possible to achieve ever higher levels of pollution-free energy production with smaller numbers of windturbines.

"SeaWest is particularly proud of its wind energy operations in the Palm Springs area," said Jan C. Paulin, SeaWest's president and chief executive officer. "We have replaced 477 first-generation wind turbines with 62 proven, state-of-the-art turbines that simultaneously boosted output by 30 percent, lowered operating costs and enhanced the site's natural beauty."

The Westwinds II project near Palm Springs produces enough electricity for 25,000 households, while annually displacing approximately 45,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

San Diego-based SeaWest was founded in 1982 as a developer of wind energy projects. Using the most sophisticated wind turbines available, SeaWest has established itself as one of the world's leading wind energy developers, with projects near Palm Springs, Tehachapi and Altamont Pass, in Central California. SeaWest has also developed wind energy projects in southeastern Wyoming, Spain, England and Scotland.

"We see tremendous potential for wind energy in our international growth strategy," said Philip Taylor, vice president of Cinergy Global Power, an international energy development company and majority owner in the Westwinds II project near Palm Springs. Heller Financial and Caithness, a privately-held investment firm, are also co-investors in the project.

Cinergy Global Power is an energy development company with bases in the United Kingdom, United States and other international locations. The company has international investments in renewable energy, including wind, hydro, and biomass projects, in Spain, the United Kingdom, and Wyoming in the United States. Cinergy Global Power is a subsidiary of Cinergy, one of the Midwest's leading energy suppliers. Cinergy invites you to visit its Web site at www.cinergy.com.

The market for wind energy is growing in California and around the world as industry leaders produce wind turbines that are more energy efficient and aesthetically pleasing. Companies such as SeaWest are driving the technological innovations that make wind energy increasingly attractive to utility companies and to consumers.

Opportunities in countries with existing and developing economies in the wind energy industry are emerging in greater numbers due to the increased effort to utilize energy resources that are non-polluting and non-depleting.

Paulin of SeaWest added, "We're producing electricity without polluting the air we breathe. This is especially important, given that air quality remains a key health and quality of life issue for many Californians."

Major environmental organizations, including the Natural Resources Defense Council (www.nrdc.com) and Greenpeace (www.greenpeace.usa@wdc.greenpeace.org) actively encourage development of wind energy. And after nearly 20 years of development, wind energy is increasingly recognized as a viable renewable energy source.

Greenpeace estimates the value of the worldwide wind energy market to increase by 20 percent per year through 2002, while the American Wind Energy Association (www.awea.org) reports that roughly 900 megawatts of new generating capacity is currently planned for various locations across the United States.

The U.S. Department of Energy, through its Wind Powering America initiative, estimates that at least 5 percent of the nation's power to come from wind energy by 2020, while the number of states using windpower increases to 16 by 2005 and to 24 by 2010.

SeaWest WindPower Inc. is a San Diego-based national and international leader in wind energy development. SeaWest is at the forefront of promoting the growth of alternative energy assets in areas of the world that recognize and reward innovation and environmentally-friendly practices. SeaWest invites you to visit its Web site at www.seawestwindpower.com.