HAYS, KS - Sunflower Electric Power Corporation and Renewable Energy Systems (RES), an international wind farm developer, announced today the construction of the Sunflower Electric Wind Farm that will be built in Wichita County, near Leoti, Kansas.

Sunflower will purchase the first 30 MW of the wind-generated energy produced by the project that has been designed to produce up to 100 MW as additional customers join the project. The first phase of construction is scheduled for completion by the end of 2003, but is subject to the approval of the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) and the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC).

Central Plains Power, LLC, a subsidiary of RES North America, LLC, RES’s U.S. development arm, working closely with the Wichita County Economic Development Corporation, will build the facility. The project is expected to have a workforce of approximately100 to150 construction jobs, and when fully subscribed, as many as 10 permanent jobs.

Sharla Krenzel, Director of the Wichita County Economic Development Corporation said,

“As this project becomes a reality, we’re very thankful for the cooperation between RES North America and Sunflower, and we’re quite excited about the economic impact this project will bring to Wichita County.”

Tom Fair, Development Director for RES North America said,

“We couldn’t be more pleased with Sunflower’s commitment to renewable energy and with the strong support of the community for this project.”

He added that he anticipated other regional utilities would join in the project to maximize its potential.

When fully developed, the wind farm will be comprised of between 60 and 75 wind turbines mounted atop tubular steel towers over 200 feet in height, laid out in rows on a 6,000 acre project site. The site, located in eastern Wichita County, is entirely cultivated farmland, which Fair says is ideally suited for wind farm development.

“Our studies and consultation with agencies indicates very low environmental sensitivity. Extensive wind monitoring has proved that there is an excellent wind energy resource, and with Sunflower’s large transmission line already passing through the area, there is no need to build any new overhead high voltage power lines for the project.”

Sunflower’s President and CEO, Chris Hauck said,

“Sunflower is very pleased to be able to include this renewable energy supply in its portfolio of generation assets.”

Hauck added,

“This long-term 30 MW renewable energy purchase is a significant commitment because it amounts to approximately ten percent of our average Member System requirement.”

He continued,

“We are honored that the wind farm has been named to reflect our position as host utility and because we expect it will be operated to the same high standards we demand of ourselves.”

About Sunflower Electric Power Corporation (Sunflower)
Sunflower Electric Power Corporation is a regional wholesale power supplier that owns and operates a 595 MW portfolio of gas and coal-fired generating plants and a 1,200-mile transmission system for the needs of its six member cooperatives that serve 120,000 people spread throughout a 21,000 square mile area in western Kansas. Sunflower also provides power to regional utilities in Kansas and in ten states.

About RES North America
RES North America, LLC is a member of the Renewable Energy Systems group (RES), one of the world's leading wind energy developers. RES has offices in nine countries and several thousand MW of wind power capacity on its books at various stages of development. In 2001, an RES company completed construction of what was then the world’s largest wind farm at King Mountain, Texas (280 MW) and has to date built over 540 MW of wind power capacity in the USA. RES possesses all the capabilities required to develop, construct and operate successful wind farm projects.