ONTARIO POWER GENERATION AND BRITISH ENERGY (CANADA) LTD DEVELOP WIND FARM

Kincardine, Ontario -- -

Kincardine, Ontario -- Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and British Energy (Canada) Ltd. (BE) today announced a 50/50 joint venture, Huron Wind, to develop a wind energy facility near Kincardine, Ontario.

Huron Wind intends to have wind generators in service in early 2002. While the total output of the wind farm has not been determined, there will be at least 10 MW installed at this stage. British Energy (Canada) and OPG will be responsible for day-to-day operation of the facility and for marketing the output produced by Huron Wind.

"We expect that Ontario electricity customers will be asking for ‘green power’ as part of their energy mix when the competitive electricity market opens. This wind farm will provide a nice balance to our green power portfolio," said Graham Brown, Ontario Power Generation’s Chief Operating Officer. " The intermittent nature of wind energy means that consumers can not yet fully count on wind power like they can on hydro, fossil and nuclear facilities, but this project will make a significant addition to OPG’s existing green power portfolio."

OPG currently has 138 MW of green power made up of small, run-of-river hydro-electric plants, bio-gas from landfill, wind energy and some small solar powered sites. The company has a commitment to increase this amount to 500 MW by 2005.

Robin Jeffrey, BEÂ’s Chairman Designate and Executive Director North America said, "British Energy sees Canada as a platform for growth and is delighted to be making another investment into OntarioÂ’s electricity sector. Huron Wind will provide an important source of emission-free power for Ontario consumers, backed by the reliability of conventional production sources."

"Huron Wind is seen to be the starting point in a potential portfolio of joint projects between British Energy (Canada) and OPG. We will pursue further opportunities to develop renewable energy resources as OntarioÂ’s energy marketplace continues to move towards deregulation to provide consumers with competitively priced sources of energy," said Jeffrey.

Community interest and support for the wind farm is evident. Kincardine Mayor Larry Kraemer praised the project, and said, Kincardine Mayor Larry Kraemer expressed community interest in the wind farm saying, "CanadaÂ’s commercial nuclear power industry began here over more than 40 forty years ago and has a valued connection with this community; efficiently producing clean electricity, without smog emissions. ItÂ’s exciting to now welcome commercial wind power to the community as it begins to make its mark as a clean generation source with a bright future."

The project, to be located on land near the Bruce A and B nuclear generating facility on Lake Huron, will be subject to the Ministry of Environment processes. The proposed wind farm will build on the success of experience gained from a 600 kW wind turbine that has been in operation since 1995 on the proposed site. This site has proven to be one of the most promising in Ontario, with conditions that would allow the wind farm to operate at about a 30 per cent capacity factor.

Ted Arnott (MPP: Waterloo –Wellington), Parliamentary Assistant to Environment Minister Elizabeth Witmer, was on hand. He commented on the important role wind farms could play in Ontario’s ongoing effort to reduce harmful emissions. "We strongly support initiatives of this kind and hope to see more in the future," said Arnott.

Growing interest in wind energy has been helping to lower costs while improving wind energyÂ’s competitiveness, particularly as it complements conventional energy sources. Support for the new wind farm was evident with representatives from government, community and industry on hand for todayÂ’s announcement.

Jim Salmon, Past-President and Board Member of the Canadian Wind Energy Association, (CANWEA) pointed out that installations of utility-scale wind generation are gradually accelerating in Canada with sites in Quebec, Alberta, the Yukon, and Ontario.

" We estimate there will be 500 MW of wind generation installed in Canada by the end of 2002 and 10,000 MW by 2010, so naturally we are delighted to see Ontario join the Canadian wind farm club. Congratulations to Ontario Power Generation and British Energy (Canada) for participating in wind powerÂ’s growth. Facilities such as this one confirm windÂ’s cost competitiveness and stand as proof that wind generation has a significant role to play in supplying clean energy to Ontario and CanadaÂ’s consumers," said Salmon.

Ontario Power Generation is an Ontario- based company whose principal business is the generation and sale of electricity to customers in Ontario and to interconnected markets. OPGÂ’s goal is to be a premier North American energy company, focused on low-cost power generation and wholesale energy sales, while operating in a safe, open and environmentally responsible manner.

British Energy is the UKÂ’s largest electricity generating company. British Energy (Canada) Ltd. is the majority partner in Bruce Power LP, the company that has signed an agreement to lease the Bruce Nuclear Generating Facility from Ontario Power Generation. The Bruce Power transaction represents a $3.2 billion investment and is expected to reach financial closure in 2001, subject to regulatory approval. British Energy also recently announced it had formed a new joint venture to develop offshore wind generation in the UK with Renewable Energy Systems Ltd.

http://www.british-energy.com/media/fr_press_releases.html

For more information contact:

Ontario Power Generation: Media Relations 1-877-592-4008 or (416) 592-4008