Raser Technologies Executes Term Sheet with Southern California Public Power Authority for a Potential 110 MW Pre-Paid Power Purchase Agreement
Friday, June 26, 2009 | Category: Press Releases | PrintPROVO, Utah–Raser Technologies, Inc. announced that it has entered into a term sheet with the Southern California Public Power Authority (“SCPPA”) to sell 110 megawatts of renewable geothermal power to certain SCPPA member municipalities in a pre-paid arrangement. The power plants would be built at Raser’s Thermo, Utah site, over a three year period.
The term sheet establishes the basic terms of a Power Purchase Agreement, or “PPA,” under which Raser would develop 110 MW of geothermal power for sale to SCPPA in a pre-paid arrangement. Under a pre-paid PPA, the purchaser of the power pays for a portion of the expected power generation up front and then pays a reduced monthly amount for the remaining power and environmental attributes. The term sheet is non-binding, and either party can end discussions at any time, for any reason, without liability to the other party.
Pre-paid PPAs are structured to take advantage of the municipalities’ ability to borrow at favorable rates to purchase power up front at a reduced rate. This allows the municipalities to improve the economics of the transaction and provide greater price stability over the life of the agreement, as well as provide greater access to renewable energy projects. In turn, a pre-paid structure allows developers like Raser to secure funding for their projects from an alternative source in challenging economic times. The pre-paid PPAs would provide Raser with greater flexibility for planning and developing its commercial geothermal power projects.
Richard Clayton, Executive Vice President for Raser, said, “We are excited to have signed this term sheet and be nearing completion of negotiations for this significant power purchase agreement with SCPPA. We have had productive discussions with SCPPA to date and hope to finalize the PPA in the near future.”
About SCPPA
The Southern California Public Power Authority (SCPPA) is a joint powers authority consisting of 11 municipal utilities and one irrigation district. SCPPA members deliver electricity to approximately 2 million customers over an area of 7,000 square miles, with a total population of 6 million. The Members include the municipal utilities of the cities of Anaheim, Azusa, Banning, Burbank, Cerritos, Colton, Glendale, Los Angeles, Pasadena, Riverside, Vernon, and the Imperial Irrigation District. SCPPA was formed in 1980 to finance the acquisition of generation and transmission resources for its members. Currently, SCPPA has five generation projects and three transmission projects, bringing power from Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.
About Raser Technologies
Raser (NYSE: RZ – News) is an environmental energy technology company focused on geothermal power development and technology licensing. Raser’s Power Systems segment is seeking to develop clean, renewable geothermal electric power plants and bottom-cycling operations, incorporating licensed heat transfer technology and Raser’s Symetron™ technology developed internally by its Transportation and Industrial segment. Raser’s Transportation & Industrial segment focuses on extended-range plug-in-hybrid vehicle solutions and using Raser’s award-winning Symetron™ technology to improve the torque density and efficiency of the electric motors and drive systems used in electric and hybrid-electric vehicle powertrains and industrial applications. Further information on Raser may be found at: www.rasertech.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including, but not limited to, statements regarding: our beliefs about our ability to finalize a power purchase agreement, our beliefs about preliminary drilling results; our beliefs about the potential for geothermal power generation on our leased properties and its qualification for certain federal tax credits; our beliefs about our ability to exploit the available geothermal resources; our beliefs about the expected timing relating to the testing and commissioning of our geothermal power projects; our beliefs about a local utility’s ability to complete their work in a timely manner; our beliefs about our ability to obtain adequate development funding; our beliefs about our ability to utilize our technology and other available technologies to produce electric power from the available resources; and our beliefs about the geothermal market in general. These forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ, including, without limitation, the competitive environment and our ability to compete in the industry; our ability to adapt our technology and third-party technology for the intended applications; our ability to secure necessary permits; the strength of our intellectual property; our ability to attract, train and retain key personnel; and such other risks as identified in our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2009, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and all subsequent filings.
All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to us as of the date hereof, and we undertake no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this press release.
Contact:
Raser Technologies, Inc.
Issa Arnita
Investor Relations
(801) 765-1200
investorrelations@rasertech.com
or
Hayden IR
Cameron Donahue
(651) 653-1854
cameron@haydenir.com
or
Public Relations contact: Stern & Co.
Richard Stern
212 888-0044
richstern@sternco.com
Alison Simard
323-650-7117
arsimard@sternco.com