Scottish wind in USA

ScottishPower's US energy business, PPM Energy, is to build a 200MW windfarm at Big Horn in the south east of Washington state. Approximately $270 million will be invested in the project which is expected to be completed in summer 2006.

"PPM owns seven wind projects, with Big Horn being the largest wind project we have developed to date," said Terry Hudgens, PPM Energy's CEO.

PPM is in advanced discussions to sell the output of the Big Horn project under a long-term contract to a major utility. Last month PPM Energy also contracted all the future power from its 150 MW Shiloh wind project now under construction in Northern California. Approximately 93% of PPM Energy's windfarm output is sold under long-term contract.

PPM Energy also expects to have four other wind power projects operational this year - the 100MW Trimont project in Minnesota, the 150MW Elk River project in Kansas, the 150MW Shiloh project in California and the 198MW Maple Ridge project in New York that PPM is building as a joint venture with Horizon Wind Energy, a unit of Goldman Sachs.