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November 21, 2008 Friday

LOCAL

248 words

Reporter-News Staff Report

Wal-Mart Stores announced this week it will use wind energy power to supply up to 15 percent of the retailer's total energy load in approximately 360 Texas stores and other facilities, according to a news release.

There are 10 Wal-Marts in the Abilene area, but information about whether any of these stores will use wind energy power wasn't immediately available Thursday.

The renewable energy will come from a Duke Energy wind farm under construction in Notrees in Ector County and is expected to begin producing electricity for Wal-Mart by April.

"We're purchasing renewable power at traditional energy rates," Kim Saylors-Laster, vice president of energy for Wal-Mart, said in a news release. "The wind power purchase will result in a significant decrease of greenhouse gas emissions and aligns perfectly with Wal-Mart's long-term goal of being supplied by 100 percent renewable energy."

The project will provide roughly 226 million kilowatt-hours (kwh) of renewable power each year or the energy equivalent of washing 108 million loads of laundry -- enough for every household in Austin to do laundry for a year. By purchasing this amount of clean, renewable energy, Wal-Mart will avoid producing more than 139,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per year. This is equal to taking approximately 25,000 cars off the road or eliminating the CO2 produced by 18,000 homes annually.

Duke's Ocotillo Windpower Project, located in Howard County, began operations in September.

November 30, 2008