<html dir="ltr"><head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=Windows-1252">
<meta content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.3395" name="GENERATOR">
<style title="owaParaStyle">P {
MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px
}
</style>
</head>
<body ocsi="x">
<div dir="ltr"> </div>
<div></div>
<div>
<div dir="ltr">From <a href="http://www.ou.edu/publicaffairs/home/main/press/windpower.html" target="_blank">
http://www.ou.edu/publicaffairs/home/main/press/windpower.html</a>:<br>
<br>
NORMAN – Marking one of the largest renewable energy commitments ever by<br>
a public university in the United States, the University of Oklahoma<br>
Norman campus will purchase 100 percent of its electricity from wind<br>
power by 2013 with the signing today of a wind power agreement with<br>
Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company.<br>
<br>
OU also plans to expand its use of vehicles powered by compressed<br>
natural gas and will open a new cng refueling station at the new campus<br>
motor pool. The Transportation Operations Center is set to open in<br>
November. It will also make the fueling station available to the city<br>
of Norman for its vehicles.<br>
<br>
OU will rank among the nation's top renewable-energy-purchasing<br>
universities in the country.<br>
<br>
OU President David Boren said, "It is our patriotic duty as Americans to<br>
help our country achieve energy independence and to be sound stewards of<br>
the environment. All of us as Americans should unite in this effort. OU<br>
is uniquely situated for leadership in this area not only because of the<br>
conservation steps being announced today, but because of our academic<br>
leadership in fields related to advanced oil and gas production,<br>
enhanced recovery of fossil fuels, weather and climate research,<br>
biofuels research and other areas."<br>
<br>
"OU is proud to become a national role model for responsible stewardship<br>
of the environment," said Boren. "It is fitting -- given the history of<br>
our state -- that the university should play a pioneering role," he said.<br>
<br>
The agreement was signed by Boren and OG&E CEO Pete Delaney in the<br>
Oklahoma Memorial Union at 2:30 p.m. before a large audience from the<br>
university community.<br>
<br>
OU is achieving the environmental benefits associated with wind energy<br>
by supporting development of a new commercial-scale wind farm to be<br>
constructed by OG&E near Woodward, Okla. It will be named the "OU<br>
Spirit" wind farm. Increased reliance on wind energy will also grow the<br>
state's economy. Nearly a decade ago, OU researchers had the foresight<br>
to create the Oklahoma Wind Power Initiative. Today, wind energy has<br>
the potential to create more than 15,000 new jobs and $500 million a<br>
year in property tax revenues in Oklahoma with appropriate investment in<br>
research and job training.<br>
<br>
"OU has for more than a century demonstrated its commitment to<br>
developing Oklahoma's resources both for the benefit of the state and<br>
for our global economy," said Delaney, OG&E's president, chairman and<br>
CEO. "At OG&E, we share that long-term commitment. We look forward to<br>
developing one of the state's crucial resources for the benefit of one<br>
of the state's most valued institutions."<br>
<br>
President Boren also indicated that OU will continue to place a high<br>
priority on its national leadership in oil and gas research. OU's oil<br>
and gas research will continue to focus on unconventional reservoirs<br>
such as shale gas and tight gas sands. It also will continue to have<br>
many programs in enhanced recovery from existing oil and gas wells and<br>
on improved drilling safety.<br>
<br>
The wind farm will provide increasing amounts of renewable energy to<br>
OU's Norman campus beginning with available wind power in 2008 and<br>
expanding with wind power from the new facility when it begins<br>
production in 2010.<br>
<br>
"Nationally, wind energy is well on its way to becoming a major source<br>
of electricity. The Oklahoma economy is poised to receive up to $40<br>
billion in wind energy investments and thousands of green collar jobs.<br>
Those are jobs that will help us keep our best and brightest here at<br>
home," said Mike Bergey, former President of the American Wind Energy<br>
Association, a leading national wind power association, and current<br>
President of the Norman Chamber of Commerce. "I salute the clean energy<br>
leadership of the University and President Boren. OU has set a high bar<br>
on stewardship and is strengthening the State's economy by purchasing<br>
Oklahoma wind power. It is also a great credit to OG&E for its bold<br>
leadership in making this possible."<br>
<br>
To further support OU's commitment, OG&E will establish internships and<br>
scholarships for OU students whose studies are focused on renewable<br>
energy as well as support campus events focusing on renewable energy.<br>
The university will exercise its naming rights for the new wind farm by<br>
naming it the "OU Spirit" wind farm.<br>
<br>
This agreement with OG&E further establishes OU as a national leader in<br>
renewable energy and the development of policies and institutions to<br>
promote sustainable energy. OU was an inaugural member of the Chicago<br>
Climate Exchange (CCX). Via its participation in the CCX, as OU reduces<br>
its carbon dioxide emissions in this purchase of wind power, the<br>
university will earn Renewable Energy Credits that have a marketable<br>
value on the Chicago Climate Exchange.<br>
<br>
OU also has instituted a number of other environmental initiatives.<br>
OU's parking and transportation department uses 21 compressed natural<br>
gas fueled vehicles, 42 flex fuel vehicles, 2 gas/electric hybrid<br>
vehicles, and 40 electric carts used by the landscape department and<br>
Physical Plant staff in its fleet with the goal of reducing the<br>
consumption of fossil fuels. Last year, the department used about<br>
24,000 gallons of compressed natural gas in its specially equipped<br>
vehicles, which translates to an equivalent amount of diesel fuel that,<br>
as a result, was not consumed.<br>
<br>
OU's on-campus fleet services has the capability of fueling vehicles<br>
with compressed natural gas. Ethanol and bio-diesel fueling<br>
capabilities will be available with the opening this fall of the new<br>
transportation operations center on campus. OU also announced today<br>
that it is making its cng fueling station available to the city of<br>
Norman for city vehicles.<br>
<br>
OU 's vehicle alternative fuels policy states that any new vehicles<br>
purchased must be capable of using an alternative fuel, unless the<br>
vehicles must be a specialized vehicle for which no model is available<br>
with an alternative fuel capacity. Additionally, the policy states that<br>
any new small utility vehicles purchased must be electrically powered.<br>
<br>
Today, OG&E's system features wind energy from the Sooner Wind Farm near<br>
Woodward, which went into service in 2003 and its Centennial Wind Farm<br>
near Ft. Supply, which was commissioned in 2007.<br>
<br>
The new 100 MW "OU Spirit" wind farm will be located on property leased<br>
for that purpose near the path of OG&E's planned transmission line<br>
between northwest Oklahoma City and Woodward. The new line will be used<br>
to transport electricity from remote wind farms in northwestern Oklahoma<br>
to larger population centers in the state and region.<br>
<br>
The agreement between OG&E and OU is subject to the Oklahoma Corporation<br>
Commission's approval of the planned wind farm and the new transmission<br>
line under development between Woodward and Oklahoma City.<br>
<br>
OG&E, a regulated electric utility with more than 765,000 customers in a<br>
service area spanning 30,000 square miles in Oklahoma and western<br>
Arkansas, is a subsidiary of Oklahoma City-based OGE Energy Corp. (NYSE:<br>
OGE), which also is the parent of Enogex LLC, a midstream natural gas<br>
pipeline business with principal operations in Oklahoma.</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>