Invenergy applauds Tennessee Valley Authority’s continued clean energy efforts, as outlined in TVA’s2007 Strategic Plan approved May 31, 2007, and is proud of Buffalo Mountain Energy Center’s delivery ofclean power to Tennessee.
As of May 9, 2007, the Buffalo Mountain Energy Center (BMEC) had produced 30 months of pollution-free energy for Tennessee. This power, 133 million kilowatt hours, would have otherwise emittedapproximately 170 million pounds of carbon dioxide given the traditional fuel mix in Tennessee (source:eGRID). And, while we are pleased with the performance of the BMEC to date, we continue to improveoperations at this and all of Invenergy’s sites.
In 2004, Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) selected Invenergy to build and operate the Buffalo MountainEnergy Center (BMEC) as part of its Green Power Switch Program. Currently, the BMEC makes up about60% of the Program’s energy, and is enough energy for the equivalent of about 5,000 homes (source:AWEA). Comprised of 15 1.8MW Vestas V80 turbines atop Windrock near the town of Oliver Springs, allof the project’s electricity is sold to the Tennessee Valley Authority under a long-term power purchaseagreement. This project was one of the few wind energy projects completed in 2004 prior to when theProduction Tax Credit was renewed, and it began commercial operations on December 9, 2004.
In terms of turbine performance, we have updated our lightning protection system at Buffalo Mountain tohelp ensure reliability of the facility. Overall turbine availability (meaning how much of the time we areready to operate), has been continually improving since we began operations, which is a key indication ofimproved performance. And we continue to improve our assessment of wind resources so as to betterpredict energy production for our customer, TVA.
Also, working closely with TVA, we are involved with groundbreaking studies for wind impacts on birdsand bats. As part of this ongoing monitoring and mitigation plan, we will implement a new strategy knownas “low wind idle” in which turbines rotate slowly (idle) at lower wind speeds which may reduce danger tobats. While wind energy is more environmentally friendly than traditional fossil fuel and nuclear plants,Invenergy’s participation in establishing “best practice methods” exemplifies the dedication of thecompany to continually minimize any environmental impacts.
Other future improvements at BMEC include the addition of an observation deck to encourage the public tocome see one of the fastest-growing energy sources in the entire United States. The new observation deckwill not only provide a panoramic view of the wind farm, but also provide literature that explains the basicsof wind energy, discusses the Buffalo Mountain Energy Center, and tells about other Invenergy windprojects.
As a company, Invenergy is pleased with our partnerships in the community of Oliver Springs, TN and theTennessee-based businesses that have helped during construction and operation. These companies includethe Tennessee Valley Infrastructure Group, Barnhart Crane and Rigging, the Coal Creek Company,Tennessee Associated Electric, B&D Equipment Company, Flash Technologies, Inc., and TNT PortableToilets. It is support like this -- combined with technological advances and citizen demand for clean,domestic energy -- that has allowed Invenergy to continue to grow its portfolio throughout similarcommunities all over the United States.
For more information on the BMEC, please email us at bmec@invenergyllc.com.Last updated June 4, 2007