First Wind, Avista to Host Tours at Palouse Wind Project to Mark Completion of Construction and Start of Commercial Operations

105 MW wind project will generate enough renewable energy for up to 30,000 Northwest homes and benefits the local economy with jobs and tax revenues

--(BUSINESS WIRE)--First Wind:

WHAT:	First Wind and Avista will host tours for media of the 105 MW Palouse Wind project in northern Whitman County, Washington to mark the completion of project construction and the start of commercial operations. Representatives from First Wind, the project developer, and Avista Corporation, who is purchasing the energy produced by the Palouse Wind project under a 30-year power purchase agreement, will be on site to lead tours. The Palouse Wind project will continue to contribute to the local economy and is now the largest renewable energy facility in Whitman County with the capacity to generate enough clean energy to power about 30,000 of Avista’s customers’ homes.
WHO:	Project representatives in attendance include: Ben Fairbanks, Director, Business Development, First Wind Bob Lafferty, Director of Power Supply, Avista Paul Kimmell, Regional Business Manager, Avista
WHERE:	25 Baird Road, Rosalia, WA 99170 (Hwy 195 & Baird Road); Directions available upon request.
WHEN:	Tuesday, December 18, 2012 10:00 am PST

About First Wind

First Wind is an independent wind energy company that develops, finances, builds and operates utility-scale wind projects in the United States. Headquartered in Boston, First Wind operates wind projects in the Northeast, the West and Hawaii, with the capacity to generate up to 980 megawatts of power. For more information on First Wind, please visit www.firstwind.com or follow us on Twitter @firstwind.

About Avista

Avista Corp. is an energy company involved in the production, transmission and distribution of energy as well as other energy-related businesses. Avista Utilities is our operating division that provides electric service to 361,000 customers and natural gas to 320,000 customers. Our service territory covers 30,000 square miles in eastern Washington, northern Idaho and parts of southern and eastern Oregon, with a population of 1.5 million. Avista's primary, non-utility subsidiary is Ecova, an energy and sustainability management company with over 700 expense management customers, representing more than 600,000 sites. Our stock is traded under the ticker symbol "AVA." For more information about Avista, please visit www.avistacorp.com.