Knowledge Base

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) recently announced plans to end LA’s use of coal-fired power by the end of 2015. First Wind, which built, owns and operates the two phases of the combined 306 MW Milford Wind Corridor projects, is supporting this effort with the output from the two operational phases having the capacity to provide power for about 64,000 Southern California homes, while avoiding 300,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions that would result from conventional regional generation sources in a typical year.

First Wind today commended the clean energy vision outlined by President Obama in the State of the Union, and called for bi-partisan leadership to create a level playing field for clean energy and fossil fuels.

First Wind, an independent U.S.-based renewable energy company, has begun work on two areas in the West Maui hills that are designed to preserve the population of threatened or endangered birds. As part of the company’s innovative Habitat Conservation Plan for its two Kaheawa Wind projects on Maui, First Wind is constructing two fenced enclosures to protect the federally endangered Hawaiian Petrel and threatened Newell’s Shearwater, two native Hawaiian seabirds. The enclosures are located about ten miles west of Wailuku.

First Wind hopes to increase its operating portfolio of wind projects by 50 percent or more after the recent extension of the federal tax credits by Congress last week. The ambitious effort could mean that thousands of people will be employed building new First Wind projects over the next few years along with millions of dollars in investment and new revenue generated for host communities and others, while delivering cost-competitive clean energy to more homes across the country. First Wind currently operates 980 megawatts (MW) of wind projects in six states across the United States.

First Wind and Avista (NYSE: AVA) today announced that construction of the Palouse Wind project has been completed and commercial operations have begun. Located in Eastern Washington, the 105 megawatt (MW) First Wind project will be included in Avista’s diverse resource portfolio and will have the capacity to generate enough renewable wind energy to power the equivalent of approximately 30,000 of Avista’s customers’ homes. In addition, First Wind announced it has obtained a $50 million tax equity financing from Cook Inlet Region, Inc. (CIRI).