Tri Global Energy announces world’s largest community-sponsored wind farm

DALLAS, Texas - - Tri Global Energy, LLC announces the creation of Hale Community Energy, LLC (HCE) located in the southern part of Hale County, Texas stretching west from Abernathy to Petersburg, north to Plainview and across to the Floyd County line. HCE is a partnership comprised of the Tri Global Energy projects of Hale County Wind Farm, LLC, CottonWind Farms, LLC, Lakeview Wind Farms, LLC, and East Mound Renewable Energy Project, LLC.

The creation of this wind farm has raised a few eyebrows with more than 122,000 acres that are owned by more than 340 landowners, and has more than 450 shareholders. As the world’s largest community-sponsored wind farm, it has the potential to produce 1,100 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy with approximately 500-650 turbines, to be developed in five phases of construction.

Tri Global expects the first 200 MW phase to be operational in late 2015, and for the entire project to be operational by mid 2018.

“The actual construction of the wind turbines will bring a lot of temporary jobs into the area,” Curtis King, Tri Global’s Senior Vice President of Investor Relations said. “And once we get the wind farm up and running, there will be at least 100 permanent jobs. These will be high-paying jobs. It’s not something that will be around for just 10 years — wind farms will be a permanent fixture that will go on for several generations.”

HCE will interconnect with two national grids within one project area. This is key for readily delivering renewable wind energy to the urban areas that are hungry for it. The point of interconnection (“POI”) for the 200 MW first phase of the project is planned to be the Briscoe County Substation currently being constructed by Sharyland Utilities 20 miles northeast of the project. The POI for the 250 MW second phase is planned to be the SPP 345KV Tuco substation located adjacent to the southwest boundary of the project. A new 345kV transmission line is planned for completion by mid-2014 from Tuco to Woodward, Oklahoma, which will run through the southern part of the project.