Wal-Mart dedicated its first large-scale wind turbine in Red Bluff on Monday. It will provide 20 percent of the power needed at the company’s distribution center. The company is in line to get a significant rebate from PG&E (Photos by Paul Moreno.)
RED BLUFF – Wal-Mart dedicated a large-scale wind turbine on Monday (Oct. 29) that will generate power for its distribution center here.
The ceremony was attended by company officials, local, state and federal elected officials, including U.S. Rep. Wally Herger (R-Chico) and representatives from PG&E.
The company says the turbine will generate 2.2 million kilowatt hours of energy, enough to supply 20 percent of the distribution center’s annual electricity use.
The turbine is 265 feet tall and its blade spans 250 feet.
The turbine was manufactured by General Electric. It was installed by Foundation Windpower, which will sell the power to Wal-Mart.
Among those participating in the ceremony were Mariana Sierra, a PG&E project manager (second from left), U.S. Rep. Wally Herger (fourth from left) and Steve Nichols, PG&E director of Energy Solutions and Service (fifth from left).
“This project demonstrates how private-sector-led innovation can create jobs and bring down prices for consumers,” Herger said. “By making good use of the natural resources Northern California has been blessed with, we can bring more economic growth and opportunity to our communities.”
Wal-Mart is on track to receive a rebate of as much as $1.5 million based on energy savings.
PG&E’s Steve Nichols, Mariana Sierra, Laura Wetmore and Melissa Clark attended the ceremony.
