“uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç

In an auction of renewables power contracts in which wind was the largest winner, new or repowered wind projects totalling some 300 MW were tentatively chosen for more than $45 million in financial incentives from the California Energy Commission (CEC). This means about 300 MW of wind projects are planned in California over the next three and a half years. The 55 winning projects, of which at least 24 are wind, will receive a total of $162 million a year, or an average of $0.012/kWh, the CEC announced on July 9. The "New Renewables Resources Account," part of the state's restructuring legislation, is designed to subsidise renewable energy projects in California during the transition to a deregulated market (“uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç, May 1998). Four projects by Enron Wind Development Corporation were tentatively awarded about $16.8 million in financing -- by far the largest amount awarded to one bidder -- while 15 projects by Venture Pacific Inc will be awarded more than $8.5 million. Other tentative awards per project are as follows: $5.47 million to Mark Tech Corporation/Foras Energy Inc; $4.98 million to Whitewater Energy Corporation; $4.38 million to Windland Inc; $3.19 million to Painted Hills Wind Developers, and $1.85 million to CalWind Resources Inc. To be eligible for the incentive, the projects must be located within the state and constructed between September 1996 and January 1, 2002.