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Partnerships Forging for Delmarva Peninsula’s First Solar Park

Partnerships Forging for Delmarva Peninsula’s First Solar Park

Dover-based 10 MW Facility Would Create Green Jobs, Green Energy for Region

A statewide partnership involving five entities – City of Dover, Delmarva Power, Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation (DEMEC), Delaware Sustainable Energy Utility (SEU) and LS Power – will lead to the construction of one of the Mid-Atlantic region’s largest solar power plants – and the first on the Delmarva Peninsula.

The 10 megawatt (MW) solar power plant – called Dover SUN Park – will be built on 103 acres of Dover-owned property in the Garrison Oak Technology Park. The utility-scale, solar power plant, which will be owned by White Oak Solar Energy, LLC, an affiliate of LS Power, is expected to create between 100-150 local jobs during construction and would supply enough clean power to serve 1,300 homes. Construction of Dover SUN Park is planned to start later this year, with full-scale operations expected to begin next summer.

The initial concept for building Delaware’s first solar facility stemmed from a request for proposals initiated by the City of Dover in March 2008 seeking power-generating sources that were reliable, cost competitive and environmentally prudent.

“Working closely with the city’s energy manager, Pace Global, we recognized the value in partnering for such an innovative solution to our collective energy and climate challenge, which is what led us to today,” Dover Mayor Carleton E. Carey, Sr. told a crowd of more than 100 people gathered Tuesday at Dover City Hall to witness the ceremonial signing of an agreement to build the Dover SUN Park.

“This is a coming together of many entities that will enable job growth in our area and put Dover ahead of the rest in green energy,” Mayor Carey added.

Several agreements were signed as part of the larger commitment to build Dover SUN Park. The highlights of those agreements include:

  • The City of Dover has signed a 20-year agreement to purchase all of the energy produced by the Dover SUN Park and a portion of the Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SREC) at a competitive cost. The energy volume will supply more than two percent of the current energy requirements of Dover’s system. The solar plant has leased approximately 100 acres at the Garrison Tract and will interconnect with Dover’s 69 kV electric network.
  • Delmarva Power signed agreements with White Oak Solar Energy, LLC for the purchase of SRECs associated with the solar energy output from Dover SUN Park, and with the Delaware SEU for the preservation of SRECs and the ability to buy them back at a later date. Delmarva’s agreements are subject to the approval of the Delaware Public Service Commission.
  • DEMEC, representing the nine municipal electric utilities in Delaware, signed an agreement with White Oak Solar Energy, LLC for the purchase of SRECs and other environmental attributes to be produced by the 10MW solar generation facility.

“We are extremely pleased to execute the purchase agreements with the City of Dover, Delmarva Power, Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation and the Delaware Sustainable Energy Utility and are looking forward to beginning the next phase of the project,” said Joe Gorberg, Senior Vice President, LS Power. “This clean source of renewable energy produced by this facility will energize the local community and help improve the environment.”

Delmarva Power Region President Gary Stockbridge said: “Today, Delmarva Power is another step closer to meeting Delaware’s very ambitious clean energy goals, which require 20 percent of Delmarva Power’s energy supply to come from renewable sources by 2019. It also makes us extremely proud to be part of bringing green energy and green jobs to Delaware.”

The project will help Delaware achieve its nation-leading, solar power goals by supplying more than 25 percent of the state’s required solar power production through at least 2015.

Patrick E. McCullar, President and Chief Executive Officer of DEMEC, said: “The Delaware municipal electric utilities are again leading by example with another first-of-its-kind renewable energy generation project in Delaware. We were the first wholesale electric utility in the nation to have an outtake agreement for off-shore wind generation with our commitment to the Bluewater Wind Project in 2007, and we are continuing DEMEC’s long-term goal of developing innovative and economic utility-scale, renewable energy generation projects located in Delaware by being a part of the Dover SUN Park Project.”

Dr. John Byrne, Co-chairman, Delaware SEU, said: “Dover SUN Park will play an integral role in our efforts to move Delaware toward a sustainable energy future. This is just the beginning, but a big beginning and we are proud to be a partner.”

Dover, Delmarva Power, DEMEC, the SEU and LS Power, with the support of the state legislative and executive branches, have been developing this project for more than a year as a collective effort to bring green energy and green jobs to Delaware. The Dover SUN Park will be the first tenant within the 389-acre Garrison Oak Technology Park, which is owned by Dover.

About City of Dover
The City of Dover is located in central Delaware in Kent County and is the capital of Delaware. Dover is approximately 90 miles south of Philadelphia, Pa., and 90 miles east of Washington, D.C. While its population is significantly less than that of Wilmington, DE, Dover encompasses a larger area than any other city on the Delmarva Peninsula. In contrast to most major cities in the Northeast, Dover is continuing to grow economically, in population and in land mass. The city has an estimated population of 36,359. Visit us on the web at www.cityofdover.com.

About Delmarva Power
Delmarva Power, a public utility owned by Pepco Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: POM), provides safe and reliable energy to nearly 500,000 electric delivery customers in Delaware and Maryland and about 123,000 natural gas delivery customers in northern Delaware. Visit us on the web at www.delmarva.com.

About DEMEC
The Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation, Inc. (DEMEC, www.demecinc.net) is a public power joint action agency and wholesale electric utility providing power supply and related services to nine municipally-owned distribution utilities in the state of Delaware through owned generation assets and power purchased from other generators in the PJM region.

About SEU
The Sustainable Energy Utility (SEU, www.seu-de.org) serves the green energy needs of all households and businesses through a comprehensive package of services that includes high efficiency technologies and appliances, expansion of weatherization services, and implementation of distributed renewable energy such as solar electric systems.

About Pace Global Energy Services, LLC
Since 1979, Pace has provided innovative energy services to support execution of business strategies, complex energy transactions, asset development and operations in more than 40 countries on six continents. Headquartered outside of Washington, D.C., Pace provides expertise and represents clients in all segments of the energy value chain from exploration, production and generation through transportation and distribution down to end use consumption. For more information, visit www.paceglobal.com.

Media Contacts:
City of Dover
Kay Sass
302-736-7003
kdietzsass@dover.de.us

Delmarva Power
Bridget Shelton
302-283-5808 (o)
866-655-2237 (pager)
Bridget.shelton@pepcoholdings.com

DEMEC
Patrick E. McCullar
302-653-2733
public@demecinc.net

Pace Global
Tricia W. Bruns
703.227.1025
Tricia.Bruns@paceglobal.com

LS Power
Eric Crawford
925-201-5234
314-374-8879 (cell)
ecrawford@lspower.com

Delaware SEU
John Byrnee
302-831-8405
jbbyrne@udel.edu

ABOUT LS POWER:

Founded in 1990, LS Power is a premier development, investment, and operating company focused on the North American power and energy infrastructure sector, with leading platforms across generation, transmission and energy transition solutions. Since inception, LS Power has developed or acquired 47,000 MW of power generation, including utility-scale solar, wind, hydro, battery energy storage, and natural gas-fired facilities. Additionally, LS Power Grid has built 780+ miles of high-voltage transmission, with 350+ miles and multiple grid infrastructure projects currently under construction or development. LS Power actively invests in and scales businesses that are accelerating the energy transition, including electric vehicle charging, demand response, microgrids, renewable fuels and waste-to-energy platforms. Over the years, LS Power has raised $54 billion in debt and equity capital to support North American infrastructure. For information, please visit www.LSPower.com.