Spurs consider wind power a slam dunk for AT&T Center

Web Posted: 06/19/2008 01:34 AM CDT

By Vicki Vaughan
Express-News Business Writer

Now, when the lights go on at the sprawling AT&T Center, it will be “green” juice coming from West Texas wind farms.

Bexar County, which owns the AT&T Center, and Spurs Sports and Entertainment, which maintains and operates the facility, will announce today that as of June 1, it became CPS Energy's top commercial buyer of wind energy under the city-owned utility's Windtricity program.

“As an organization, we are extremely excited about this, and it is only the first step,” Spurs Chairman and CEO Peter Holt said in a statement.

“We are exploring recycling and water conservation ideas as well,” Holt added. “We really want to be a model for arenas across the country regarding sensitivity to the environment.”

The AT&T Center's agreement calls for the 750,000-square-foot building to be 100 percent powered by wind for the next two years, the longest-term wind contract CPS now offers.

CPS Chairwoman Aurora Geis said the utility is “thrilled” to have the AT&T Center be part of the utility's wind portfolio.

“We continue to do everything we can to educate the public on the importance of reducing our dependence on traditional energy sources, and the fact that our own arena will be powered exclusively by Windtricity is huge for our community,” she said.

The AT&T Center is one of several major local commercial customers that since April have announced joining the Windtricity program. Clear Channel Outdoor and H-E-B said they would get a portion of their power in San Antonio from wind energy, and Raba-Kistner Consultants Inc. announced it would get all of its electricity from Windtricity.

The AT&T Center's utility bill ranges from $1.2 million to $1.5 million a year, said John Sparks, the center's vice president and general manager. Managers have been looking at ways to manage costs.

“Windtricity isn't the cheapest thing to buy on the market, but if you look at what's happening with fossil fuels, it's a good choice,” Sparks said.

Without switching to wind power, the AT&T Center's electric bill could climb as much as 28 percent in the next year, based on the cost of fuels that keep CPS' power plants running, an analysis by Sparks' staff indicated.

Windtricity offers an advantage in addition to its green credentials: Its costs are fixed.

Like other users, the AT&T Center has been paying a fuel adjustment charge, along with a base rate, for the power it uses. The charge fluctuates depending on what CPS is using to fire its plants — coal, nuclear fuel or natural gas.

“The fuel adjustment charge is what really hurts us,” Sparks said. The flat Windtricity rate will help the center in budgeting, Sparks said.

“We're in no worse a situation buying Windtricity — and it's better for the environment,” he added.

Lynda Rodriguez, CPS solutions delivery manager, said the utility hopes at some point to offer Windtricity contracts of longer than two years.

“We'd love to see a four- and six-year deal,” Sparks said.


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