Feb. 11, 2008

PGE contributes $100K to Columbia Gorge Community College Renewable Energy Tech Program
Students land jobs at PGE’s Biglow Canyon Wind Farm

PORTLAND, Ore. — In support of a regional growing need for skilled renewable energy technology workers, Portland General Electric (PGE) (NYSE:POR) is contributing $100,000 to Columbia Gorge Community College’s renewable energy technology program in The Dalles, Oregon.

The funding will support the college’s career ladder program that prepares students for employment in areas of hydro-generation, wind-generation, automated manufacturing and engineering technology.

“This contribution from PGE is absolutely vital to help us meet the urgent need for wind energy technicians in our region. Our industry partners, including PGE, helped us design an instructional curriculum that ensured students would have the right skill set to enter this field,” said Dr. Frank Toda, president of Columbia Gorge Community College. “Our program is the only one of its kind on the West Coast, but industry support is critical if we are to grow our program quickly enough to meet the wind industry's pressing need for skilled employees.”

Upon graduation, students will have the skills needed to apply for jobs at places like PGE’s Biglow Canyon facility. Several of the program’s students have already been hired at Biglow, which began supplying power to PGE customers in October 2007.

 “We are proud to support this important program, which provides students with the skills necessary to get a job in the fast-growing field of renewable energy technology,” said Gary Hackett, plant manager of PGE’s Biglow Canyon Wind Farm in nearby Sherman County, Oregon. “Workforce training programs such as this will play a critical role in the success of the renewable energy industry in this country.”

PGE completed the first phase Biglow Canyon in December. The plant is PGE’s first wholly owned and operated wind farm, and has an installed capacity of 125 megawatts of electricity — enough to power about 34,000 homes. Additional phases planned for construction in 2009 and 2010 are expected to bring the wind farm’s total generating capacity to between 400 and 450 megawatts.

The $100,000 contribution to CGCC is part of PGE’s commitment to the communities surrounding the Biglow Canyon Wind Farm and was provided through an Oregon Strategic Investment Program (SIP) agreement between PGE and Sherman County, Ore. 

PGE is partnering with CGCC on a number of related programs including providing the college with student advisory support, job placement services, and more.

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