Pacific Gas and Electric Company announced on October 29 that it has signed a long-term power purchase agreement with enXco for 150 megawatts (MW) of clean, renewable wind energy from the company's Shiloh II project. The project will deliver approximately 509 GWh of wind energy per year to PG&E's customers in northern and central California. With this contract, the company now has 1,061 MW of wind energy under contract or delivered.

"Wind energy is one of many renewable sources PG&E is seeking as we increase the amount of clean energy provided to our customers," said Fong Wan, vice president of Energy Procurement for PG&E. "Our 150 MW agreement with enXco is an important step towards PG&E exceeding 20 percent renewable electric power under contract or delivered by 2010."

Located in Solano County, California, Shiloh II will be developed, constructed and operated by enXco, an affiliate of EdF Energies Nouvelles. Shiloh II will begin delivering renewable energy in December 2008.

The bilateral agreement filed on October 29 with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is part of PG&E's broader renewable energy portfolio. PG&E currently supplies 12 percent of its energy from qualifying renewable sources under California's Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) program. On average, more than 50 percent of the energy PG&E delivers to its customers comes from generating sources that emit no carbon dioxide, providing PG&E's customers with some of the cleanest energy in the nation.

PG&E is aggressively adding renewable electric power resources to its supply and is on target to exceed 20 percent under contract or delivered by 2010. PG&E currently has contracts to provide 18 percent of its future energy supply from renewable sources and has recently signed several other renewable energy agreements including: a 553 MW solar thermal project with Solel-MSP-1, an 85 MW wind project with PPM Energy, 7 MW of utility-scale solar projects with Cleantech America and GreenVolts, and a 25.5 MW contract with Western GeoPower, Inc. for a new geothermal energy facility in Sonoma County, California. PG&E is seeking regulatory approval of these six renewable energy contracts.

The CPUC recently approved PG&E's gas purchase agreement with Microgy, Inc., which will deliver up to 8,000 Mcf of pipeline quality renewable natural gas daily, captured from cow manure.

California's RPS Program requires each utility to increase its procurement of eligible renewable generating resources by one percent of load per year to achieve a twenty percent renewables goal by 2010. The RPS Program was passed by the Legislature and is managed by California's Public Utilities Commission and Energy Commission.