Platte River Power Gets Federal Dollars for Wind Project

FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- For the seventh consecutive year, Platte River Power Authority has received an incentive payment from the Department of Energy for renewable energy produced at its Medicine Bow Wind Project, an 8.5 MW wind facility located near Medicine Bow, Wyo. The $268,934 payment for 2005 comes from the Renewable Energy Production Incentive (REPI).

REPI, created by the Energy Policy Act of 1992 and reauthorized in the 2005 Energy Policy Act, provides direct payments to public power utilities that build qualifying renewable energy generation from wind, solar and other renewable sources. REPI provides support to not-for-profit utilities that is comparable to tax credits available to the private sector. Qualifying projects are eligible for annual incentive payments for the first 10 years of operation.

The Medicine Bow site qualified for REPI funding by producing almost 16 million kWh of renewable energy between Oct. 1, 2004 and Sept. 30, 2005.

"That is enough energy for about 2,000 homes for one year," said John Bleem, division manager, customer services and environmental programs.

"Platte River has been a REPI recipient since 1998 when we built the first wind turbines in the region at our Medicine Bow site and began supplying wind energy," said Bleem. "Back then, Platte River received $14,911 for generating 905,000 kWh of wind energy. Platte River applies all funds to operating and maintaining the site."

Platte River Power Authority generates reliable, low-cost and environmentally responsible electricity for use by its owner communities of Estes Park, Fort Collins, Longmont and Loveland since 1973. Platte River's facilities are located along the Front Range, in northwestern Colorado and near Medicine Bow, Wyoming.

Sidebar info:
REPI recipient information, www.eere.energy.gov/wip/program/repi.html
REPI report and background: www.uwig.org/nwworkshop/bennett-incentives.pdf

Platte River Power Authority REPI incentives