CPS Energy, the nation’s largest municipal buyer of wind energy and sixth among all energy providers, will soon add 200 megawatts (MW) of wind power to its growing renewable energy portfolio. Duke Energy Renewables, a commercial business unit of Duke Energy, will build, own, and operate the 200 MW Los Vientos I Windpower Project in Willacy County, located approximately 120 miles south of Corpus Christi and 20 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico.

“We are getting this power at a very attractive price so it will benefit our customers in terms of a continuum of affordable rates along with the delivery of more clean, non-emitting energy,” said Cris Eugster, chief sustainability officer for CPS Energy.  “This contract also helps CPS Energy continue to protect our customers from exposure to environmental regulation risk.”

The long-term contract with Duke Energy further emphasizes CPS Energy’s commitment to clean, renewable energy, a vital component of the utility’s recently announced New Energy Economy. Procuring the wind power from Los Vientos I will provide CPS Energy customers with 200 MW of generation at a locked-in price over the next 25 years. The project will result in CPS Energy receiving 1059 MW of Texas wind energy (list of wind farms), with more than half of that generation coming from four coastal and South Texas wind farms.

Los Vientos I is expected to begin commercial operation in December 2012. It will be sited on 30,000 acres of leased land, with the capability of generating enough electricity to power more than 56,000 homes. CPS Energy will purchase all of the output and the associated renewable energy credits.

The project marks the second partnership between CPS Energy and the North Carolina-based company. The utility already buys all of the electricity generated at Duke Energy Renewables’ 14-MW Blue Wing Solar Project in San Antonio.

The coastal project also will be Duke Energy’s fourth wind farm in Texas. The state has the largest amount of wind capacity in the nation with more than 10,000 MW. Nearly eight percent goes to the electric grid managed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT).

About CPS Energy

CPS Energy is the nation’s largest municipally owned natural gas and electric utility, providing service to approximately 717,000 electric customers and 325,000 natural gas customers in and around the City of San Antonio. The utility ranks among the nation’s lowest-cost energy providers while ranking number 1 in wind-energy capacity among municipally owned utilities. For more information, visit cpsenergy.com.

About Duke Energy Renewables

Duke Energy Renewables, part of Duke Energy’s Commercial Businesses, is a leader in developing innovative wind and solar energy solutions for customers throughout the United States. The company’s growing portfolio of commercial renewable assets includes nine wind farms and four solar farms in operation in five states, totaling approximately 1,000 megawatts in electric-generating capacity.

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a Fortune 500 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available on the Internet at: www.duke-energy.