World Wind Watch | Green Energy News

July 2, 2006 – Vol.11 No.15

WORLD WIND WATCH.

Power generation company AES Corporation of Arlington, Virginia owns 127 generation facilities worldwide and has the capacity to generate over over 44,000 megawatts of electricity, mostly from conventional sources. The company, too, has 600 megawatts of wind capacity in its portfolio.

In April the company announced plans to triple its investment in wind energy to add 2000 megawatts of wind capacity to its portfolio. Most of the new capacity would be built or purchased in the US, but the company is also looking at projects world wide.

To keep its commitment to more wind, the company has purchased the majority share of Wind Energy Ltd ( WEL) of the UK. WEL, specializing in wind power development in Scotland, has 640 megawatts of wind capacity at various stages of development there.

Scotland has some of the best wind resources on the planet, thus is ripe for wind development. Visit AES at http://www.aes.com/

Saint Louis, Missouri-based electric utility AmerenUE has announced plans to raise its rates for the first time in almost twenty years. Average rate increases are to be 17.7 percent with residential customers seeing a rate increase of 10 percent. On average, residential customers should see their monthly electric bill go from $66 per month to $72.

Ameren blames the need for a rate increase on needed investments in infrastructure, the climbing cost of fuel - particularly coal - as well as tree trimming costs, retirement, pension and medical costs for former and current employees.

But the company is also looking to build generation capacity that is not affected by rising fossil fuel prices. The company has announced it will build at least 100 megawatts of wind power and launch a voluntary program allowing customers to support additional development of wind power and other renewable energies.

The rate increase will take about a year to be reviewed and approved by the Missouri Public Service Commission . Visit AmerenUE at http://www.ameren.com/