Ridgeline Energy and Diamond Generating Corporation welcome state officials to wind farm blade signing event
AMERICAN FALLS, ID - AUGUST 2, 2011 - Ridgeline Energy, LLC and Diamond Generating Corporation today welcomed special guests including Idaho Lieutenant Governor Brad Little, State Legislators and officials, and company executives to a wind turbine blade-signing event for the Rockland wind farm in Power County, Idaho.The wind farm is expected to be in commercial operation by year-end and will have a generating capacity of about 80 megawatts (MW).
Lieutenant Governor Little was joined by other state and local elected officials, landowners and community leaders in celebrating the project that is in full construction:"The Rockland wind project will help grow Idaho's economy and achieve the goals of Idaho's Project 60, a comprehensive initiative to grow Idaho's Gross Domestic Product," he said."The Rockland project is yet another example of how Idaho is leading the way in developing its renewable energy resources, from wind and solar to geothermal and biomass."
Guests at today's event were given the opportunity to sign their names and leave messages on a wind turbine blade, which will spin from one of the 426 ft turbines to be erected.
Located on 15,000 acres of private land centered approximately 8 miles southwest of the city of American Falls, the Rockland wind farm will utilize 44 Vestas V-100 wind turbine generators, each with a rated capacity of 1.8 MW.The project will employ well over 100 workers during peak construction and a full-time staff of approximately 8 who will monitor and maintain the site after it becomes fully operational.The project will begin generating electricity by the end of the year.
"Today is a celebration," said Dennis Meany, President of Ridgeline Energy. "It's an opportunity for all of those who have been involved in or who have supported the project to sign their names and to leave a message on a turbine blade. Our landowners, our project partners and the team at Ridgeline Energy have been working for years to make this project a reality, and we are very thankful to all those who have joined us today for this great event."
"We would like to thank the people of Power County and our project partners. This is our second wind project investment and we are delighted that both projects are located in Idaho" said Yasuyuki Asakura, President of Diamond Generating Corporation. "We are committed to playing a role in meeting Idaho's energy needs with clean and affordable wind energy."
The Rockland wind farm is a joint development venture between Ridgeline Energy and Diamond Generating Corporation and when fully operational will generate enough carbon-free electricity to power approximately 37,000 average American homes. The power from the Rockland wind farm has been sold under a long-term power purchase agreement to Idaho Power. Ridgeline & Diamond Generating Corporation will be the operator of the wind farm.
Ridgeline Energy
Ridgeline Energy specializes in developing, constructing and operating community and utility-scale wind and solar energy projects across the United States and Canada. For more information visit www.ridgelineenergy.com
Ridgeline is a direct subsidiary of Veolia Environment (NYSE:VE) (Paris Euronext:VIE), the world's largest environmental services company providing tailored solutions in energy management, water management, waste services, and freight and passenger transportation.In North America the Veolia Environment operations groups maintain headquarters in Chicago, have been in operation for more than 30 years and employ more than 30,000 people.Visit the company's global Web site at www.veoliaenvironnement.com and the North American Web site at www.veolianorthamerica.com
Diamond Generating Corporation
As a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corporation, one of the world's most diverse enterprises, with over 500 subsidiaries and affiliates worldwide, Diamond Generating Corporation has developed a reputation for financial strength and long-term stability. Its expertise in power development and generation, including greenfield development, acquisition, fuel procurement, financing, construction and operations management has resulted in a portfolio of efficient, state-of-the-art, environmentally sound generating facilities.
For more information, visit the Diamond Generating Corporation's web site at: http://www.dgc-us.com