oEPA GREEN POWER PARTNERSHIP" Aligning Green Power Partners with New Renewable Energy Projects Pilot Project Summary Please return the completed summary via email to Blaine Collison, Green Power Partnership Director, collison.blaine@epa.gov / 202-343-9139 Project Name: Sterling Ranch Wind Project Developer Name: Akuo Energy USA, Inc. Renewable Energy Type: Wind Energy Total Planned Megawatt (MW) Size: Phasel:30MW Phase II: 400MW Project Location: Lea County, New Mexico Is the project permitted?: Yes. No specific construction permit is required in Lea County, NM therefore construction can start at any time. If not, what is the permit status?: Phase II is still in the early stage of the interconnection process. What is the status of the project's site?: Phase I and Phase II are fully under Developer control, with long-term leases executed and recorded for 45 years. Have land leases been filed with the county?: Yes. [< What is the status of interconnection, and have system impact and facility studies been completed? (Distribution or transmission level projects are both eligible): ------- The project will be connected to Lea County Electric Coop's 69 kV line. The point of interconnection is located within the site boundaries. The system impact and facility studies on the transmission level have been completed. A General Interconnection Agreement is currently being negotiated and is anticipated to be executed in the next couple of months. Does the transmission owner (TO) or independent system operator (ISO) have a process to study the project's impact on the local or regional grid and the subsequent cost to interconnect?: Yes. The project's impact has been studied by the TO (LCEC) and the ISO (SPP) respectively. The conclusion is that no upgrades are required on either system. What is the status of the Environmental Impact Statement?: The Sterling Wind Project is a very mature development, and a comprehensive suite of environmental studies have been completed, including avian and bat acoustic monitoring. We have a good working relationship with both the state and federal agencies regarding project impacts. Based on the low environmental risk of this site, as well as our extensive preemptive avoidance measures, the US Fish and Wildlife Service has requested only that we submit a project-specific Avian and Bat Protection Plan, and no Environmental Impact Statement is required. We anticipate submitting the ABPP in August of this year. Additionally, we have received project approvals from both the US Army Corps of Engineers and the State Historic Preservation Office. Is any element of the project - technology or other - experimental or pilot-phase?: No. The project is using commercial-grade, utility-scale wind turbines manufactured in the USA with a proven track record. What is the long- and short-term operations program of the project? Does the renewable energy technology manufacturer have a technical support team locally available?: The project will utilize on of the major utility-scale wind turbine manufacturers, with significant installed capacity in the area. For the short- to mid-term, the turbines will be under manufacturer's warranty for two years after construction, and will be operated onsite by full-time manufacturer Operations & Maintenance technicians for up to 10 years. Thereafter, the project will either elect to extend the manufacturer's O&M ------- agreement, or contract a reputable 3rd party O&M contractor through the end of the life of the project. For wind projects, has a meteorological tower been installed? If yes, when was the tower installed and how much data has been collected?: Yes. Two 60 meter met towers have been installed and are currently operating. Both were installed in September of 2007, and have collected almost 5 years of data. Who has analyzed the data and what is that person's experience with respect to projects that have actually been financed?: The data has been analyzed in partnership with Hatch, one of the world's leading providers of renewable energy solutions to developers, investors, utilities, and governments. Akuo Energy has contracted Hatch to perform met tower installation, data acquisition and QA/QC, monthly reporting, and the preparation of bankable wind resource assessment report including net energy yield and uncertainty analysis. Over 3 years of data measurement Hatch has achieved a 99% data recovery rate which is excellent by industry standards. Can the turbine manufacturer be financed through "traditional" tax equity and debt in the U.S.?: Yes, the turbine manufacturer is a leading supplier to the US wind industry, with a proven track record of performance internationally. Several projects using the turbine manufacturer's technology have been financed this way in the US. Provide a short summary of how you view project finance and structure/ownership: Akuo intends to structure the projects on a non-recourse project finance basis. The planned structure is a Tax Equity Flip structure, through either a Partnership or a single lease investor, depending on what is most optimal for the project. In a typical Tax Equity Partnership, the Tax Equity Investor and the Sponsor form a Partnership designed to provide all the tax benefits to the Tax Equity Investor. A division of the cash distributions provides the Tax Equity Investor with its agreed return, consistent with optimal tax efficiency. . The partnerships are designed such that , in the base case, once the tax benefits inherent in a project have been effectively monetized and the tax equity investor has reached its target after-tax yield, the tax equity's share of taxable income and cash distributions "flip" down to a minority percentage. ------- In the Sale\Leasebacks structure, the Sponsor sells the Project to a Lessor beneficially owned by the Tax Equity Investor for 100% of its Fair Market Value at COD and simultaneously leases the Project back for a term. The Sponsor will use the proceeds to create rent and O&M reserves, and to prepay a portion of the rent due under the Lease. The rentals under the Lease are optimized to provide for the lowest present value of rent to the Sponsor consistent with tax requirements and the Investor's return requirements. What are your ideal types of prospective institutions/partners?: The Sterling Ranch Wind Project seeks the partnership of an interested electricity offtaker or consumer to benefit from the long-term price stability the project would offer. Since wind energy does not bear the risk of fuel prices- whether coal, oil, natural gas, or uranium- the project is able to guarantee the price of electricity for 20 years and longer. The partner would play an essential role in the creation of local jobs, the promotion home-grown, renewable power, the increase in tax and commerce revenue for a rural community, and the transition to a more sustainable, clean energy economy. Producing between 120,000-140,OOOMWh peryear, the project can service the electricity needs of a large load-consuming entity, such as a factory, university or municipal utility at a competitive price, while locking in low electricity rates long-term. Further, a large company with multiple locations that chooses to purchase the electricity from the wind project would enjoy long-term rate stability while benefitting from the same consistent, reliable connection to the electricity grid. What is the intended off-take for the renewable power with respect to bundled or unbundled products and is there a preference? The ideal off-take partner would purchase the electricity bundled with the Renewable Energy Credits, although the purchase of the RECs would not be mandatory. ------- |