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April 12, 2007

KRCD SOLICITS COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES

Fresno, CA -- On behalf of the San Joaquin Valley Power Authority (Authority), the Kings River Conservation District (KRCD) announced the solicitation of competitive proposals for up to 400 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy. The Request for Proposal (RFP) seeks responses from eligible renewable energy generators to meet the projected long-term electric power needs of the Authority.

“The Authority intends to meet or exceed the California renewable portfolio of 20% in the most expeditious manner possible,” said Orth. “Our goal is to begin renewable energy deliveries as early as 2008.” As a contractor of the Authority, KRCD is committed to identifying eligible renewable energy generators within this region to support the generation of green energy in the San Joaquin Valley.

KRCD is seeking renewable products for peaking, baseload, dispatchable (unit firm) or as-available deliveries. Proposed resources may include capacity and energy from the repowering of existing facilities, incremental capacity upgrades of existing facilities, new facilities, or existing facilities with expiring contracts.

Renewable electric power resources may include, but not be limited to, such sources as biomass, biodiesel, fuel cells using renewable fuels, digester gas, geothermal, landfill gas, municipal solid waste, ocean wave (as well as ocean thermal and/or tidal current), photovoltaic (PV), solar thermal, small hydroelectric or wind. “Other energy sources may be submitted, but adequate documentation identifying the fuel source as an Eligible Renewable must be provided to KRCD as a part of the proposal process,” said Orth.

The Authority, formed in November 2006, is the governing body of Community Choice and will buy power for over 300,000 residential, business and municipal customers within the region. The Authority has retained KRCD as its sole operating agency for the CCA Program. On January 29, 2007 the Authority filed its Implementation Plan for CCA, the first in California, with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). The Authority’s rates have been conservatively projected to result in a 5% savings on generation costs with a cumulative savings of over $780 million over a 20 year period.

California Assembly Bill 117, passed in 2002, allows cities and counties to combine the electrical loads of their constituents for the purpose of bulk electricity purchases. An optout structure is provided for customers that choose to continue to buy power directly from the investor owned utility.

Since 1984, KRCD has successfully operated the Pine Flat Power Plant, providing reliable, low-cost power to the Department of Water Resources (DWR) for use in the State Water Project’s vital pumping facilities. In addition, KRCD successfully operates a 97 megawatt peaking power plant in Malaga, California.

A public agency formed in 1951, KRCD serves the agricultural, business and community residents within 1.2 million acres in portions of Fresno, Kings and Tulare counties. KRCD is a leading resource management agency for water, power and the environment in the Kings River service area.

For more information, visit the following websites:

2007 Request for Proposal for Eligible Renewable Electric Supply: www.krcd.org

Community Choice Implementation Plan: www.communitychoice.info

Kings River Conservation District: www.krcd.org

San Joaquin Valley Power Authority member municipalities: www.communitychoice.info

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