Governor Bill Richardson Announces Construction of New Mexico's First

							For immediate release                                                                  Contact: Pahl Shipley
June 11, 2009                                                                               (505) 476-2282

Governor Bill Richardson Announces Construction of New Mexico’s First Solar
Thermal Power Plant

92 Megawatt plant in Santa Teresa will turn state’s green energy potential into reality,
create jobs for New Mexicans

SANTA FE-Governor Bill Richardson today announced the construction of New Mexico’s first solar
thermal power plant, a 92 megawatt concentrating solar thermal facility in Santa Teresa. The Governor
was joined at a press conference in Santa Fe by the three companies involved in the project- El Paso
Electric, NRG Technologies, and eSolar. Work on the “New Mexico Suntower” project is scheduled to
begin early next year.

 “This cutting-edge facility will turn New Mexico’s renewable energy potential into reality, and it will
add a green boost to our economy,” said Governor Richardson. “This keeps our state on the path toward
efficiently utilizing our natural resources and moving us toward a clean energy economy. We are setting
an example for the rest of the nation and sending a clear message that New Mexico will play a key role in
developing the new energy economy.”

Solar thermal power tower technology utilizes a field of mirrors to concentrate sunlight on receivers
placed on top of towers that are about 180 feet tall. This allows liquid housed in the receivers to be heated
to very high temperatures and produce super-heated steam, which then turns a turbine that produces
electricity, similar to other power plants. There will be 32 mirror fields when the Santa Teresa plant is
completed, consisting of approximately 390,000 tracking mirrors focused on 32 power towers.

 “What we’re highlighting here today is but one step in a journey that will require more steps and more
renewable projects like this solar plant. This is the right step at the right time,” said David Stevens, CEO
of El Paso Electric.

 “Governor Richardson’s leadership has made New Mexico one of the best locations in the nation for
developing solar energy. In addition to their obvious encouragement and support for increased renewable
power, the state offers precisely the kind of renewable energy incentives and pro-business policies that the
solar industry needs to grow rapidly into a major provider of clean energy for our families and our
communities,” said Michael Liebelson, Chief Development Officer, Low Carbon Technologies for NRG.

“This project is a marriage made in heaven-- bringing together the right solar resources with the right
incentives and business policies, and the right technology. Together with NRG, we are working to usher
in the next generation of renewable energy power generation, and we are incredibly excited to accelerate
the deployment of solar energy in New Mexico and across the United States,” added eSolar CEO Bill
Gross.

The project will create 220 green construction jobs in Southern New Mexico, and will provide more than
20 permanent, full-time jobs when the plant is fully operational.

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