Mesa Power Places 1,000-MW Wind Turbine Order with GE

GE will deliver the 1.5-MW wind turbines in 2010 and 2011. Pickens said he expects that first phase of the project will cost about US $2 billion, and that electricity from the project will be on-line by early 2011. When complete, the Pampa Wind Project will cover some 400,000 acres in the Texas Panhandle.

In August of 2007, Mesa Power filed documents with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to add the 4,000 megawatts of wind-generated electricity to the power grid in Texas. Mesa Power has nominated its wind turbine output to be delivered by Texas' Competitive Renewable Energy Zones (CREZ) transmission lines. The CREZ transmission lines will benefit Texas electric users by delivering them cost effective and reliable electricity generated by renewable energy power projects.

Mesa Power is hopeful that the Pampa Wind Project will qualify for the Federal Production Tax Credits in 2010 and 2011 when the project will begin commercial operations.

"I believe that Congress will recognize that it is critical not only to this project, but to renewable energy in this country, that they enact a long-term extension of the Production Tax Credits," Pickens said.