Media advisory: Trimont dedication

Community Wind Farm to be Dedicated at Trimont Chocolate Festival
Trimont Area Wind Farm Celebrates Renewable Energy, Community and Chocolate

Elk River, Minn. - The Trimont Area Wind Farm -- the nation’s largest landowner-developed wind farm -- will celebrate its dedication at the Trimont Chocolate Festival on July 8, 2006.

The wind farm, generating up to 100 megawatts (MW) of clean, renewable energy, consists of 67 wind turbines spread across 8,970 acres of farmland. Portland-based PPM Energy developed and operates the project, and Great River Energy purchases the electricity to provide the energy to its member electric cooperatives throughout Minnesota. The Trimont Area Wind Farm generates enough electricity to serve the annual energy needs of about 29,000 of Great River Energy’s member cooperative customers.

Forty-three landowners in the area partnered with PPM Energy and Great River Energy to develop the project, which will help Great River Energy meet the Minnesota Renewable Energy Objective, calling on electric utilities to produce 10 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2015.

Bus tours to the turbines will be conducted from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday with a ceremonial ribbon cutting at 5 p.m.

What: Trimont Area Wind Farm Dedication
Where: Anderson Memorial Park, Trimont, Minn.
When: Saturday July 8, 2006, 1 p.m.- 5:30 p.m.
Who: Community leaders and energy experts, including representatives from the city of Trimont, PPM Energy, Great River Energy and the Minnesota Department of Commerce.
Visuals: A total of 67 wind turbines the size of 30 story buildings with tours inside wind towers available
Directions: Take Interstate 90 to Trimont exit (Highway 4). Travel four miles north on Highway 4 to Anderson Memorial Park in Trimont at Chestnut St. West, between 1^st Ave. South and 2^nd Ave. Southwest. The Trimont Area Wind Farm is approximately two hours from Sioux Falls and three hours from downtown Minneapolis. This is a rural site at a time of year when the weather can be unpredictable, so we encourage all attendees to dress properly and to wear shoes or boots with good traction.

For more information please visit: http://www.ppmenergy.com/cs_trimont.html