Great River Energy and Horizon Wind Energy Announce Mower County Wind Project

Business Wire, Sept 6, 2006

ELK RIVER, Minn. -- Great River Energy has signed a purchase power agreement with Horizon Wind Energy to purchase 100 megawatts (MW) of wind energy from a project under development in Mower County, Minnesota. The 100-MW project will generate enough electricity to serve the annual energy needs of nearly 29,000 Minnesota homes.

According to Jon Brekke, Great River Energy vice president of member services, the project in southeastern Minnesota brings Great River Energy one step closer to its commitment of reaching the state's 10 percent renewable energy objective by the year 2015. "This project is a good fit for our organization based on its competitive pricing, access to transmission and ability to serve the members of our cooperative," he said.

More than 50 local landowners will participate in the wind energy project, which is scheduled to begin operations in late 2007. The project will consist of 61 wind turbines that measure approximately 260 feet high.

"We look forward to partnering with Great River Energy on this project. We thank the community and local citizens for their enthusiasm as they have patiently awaited this opportunity to produce local, clean renewable energy," said Alec Dreyer, CEO of Horizon Wind Energy.

Beth Soholt, director of Wind on the Wires, a renewable energy and environmental advocacy group active throughout the Midwest, applauded the announcement of a new wind project in Minnesota. "Minnesotans have been saying that they want more energy from renewable resources, and we're glad both organizations were able to come together to make the project a reality," she said.

Great River Energy, Minnesota's second largest electric wholesale supplier, provides electricity to 28 distribution cooperatives that, in turn, serve more than 600,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Great River Energy is a not-for-profit cooperative owned by its members. For more information about Great River Energy, visit: www.GreatRiverEnergy.com.

Horizon Wind Energy, formerly Zilkha Renewable Energy, develops, constructs, owns, and operates wind farms throughout the United States. Horizon-developed wind farms operate in New York, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and Oklahoma, and the company has projects under construction in Washington, Texas and Illinois, Horizon Wind Energy is owned by Goldman Sachs, a leading global investment banking, securities, and investment management firm. More information is available at www.horizonwind.com.