Soltage and Tenaska Announce Portfolio Investment in Solar Generation Assets

JERSEY CITY, N.J., Dec. 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading independent energy company Tenaska and Soltage, LLC, a full-service renewable energy company developing, financing and operating solar power plants across the United States, today announced the acquisition of a portfolio of solar generating assets in a number of states, including Massachusetts and Connecticut. This is Tenaska's first transaction in a portfolio-level investment vehicle with Soltage; Tenaska contributed a second corporate investment in the renewable company in March.

The majority of the capital will be deployed for the construction of new assets, which Tenaska and Soltage will own and Soltage will manage and operate. Those assets will sell power to a combination of municipal and health care offtakers under Net Metering Credit and Power Purchase agreements, with commercial operation dates expected in late 2015 and mid-2016. The portfolio also includes several solar generation assets already in commercial operation in various northeastern states. This investment continues Soltage's momentum as it expects to deploy more than $250 million for roughly 125 megawatts (MW) of solar projects through 2015 and 2016.

"Distributed solar generation empowers government and corporate consumers to lock in electricity costs well below utility rates, even if they can't host onsite systems," said Jesse Grossman, Soltage co-founder and CEO. "Rising electricity prices and falling project costs continue to make solar a smart investment for forward-looking utilities and consumers."

"Tenaska is pleased to deploy long-term capital into the rapidly growing distributed solar sector," said Tim Hemig, Tenaska managing director, distributedsolar investments. "We continue to be impressed with Soltage's ability to assemble strong portfolios of solar projects."

Soltage develops, finances, installs, owns and operates solar power generating stations, providing electricity to commercial, industrial, educational, utility and municipal customers under long-term contracts. The company owns and operates 85 MW_dc of generation capacity across eight states.

Tenaska is consistently ranked by Forbes magazine as one of America's largest privately held companies, with approximately 11,000 MW of power generating assets under management, including approximately 450 MW_dc of utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) and distributed solar generation projects operating or under construction.

Roughly 16.6 gigawatts (GW) of utility-scale solar PV capacity is currently in development across the U.S., and project costs are forecast to fall 40 percent by 2020 according to GTM Research. The U.S. Energy Information Administration projects a 2.6 percent annual growth in electricity prices, while annual power consumption is predicted to grow 0.7 percent for industrial customers and 0.5 percent for commercial customers through 2040.  

About Soltage
Soltage is a leader in the development, financing, and operation of utility-scale solar power systems for commercial, industrial and municipal customers across the United States. Soltage has developed 35 solar energy projects with 85 MW total distributed generating capacity under management. Soltage is backed by a group of investors including Tenaska and is headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey. For more information, visit www.soltage.com

About Tenaska
Tenaska, based in Omaha, Nebraska, is one of the leading independent power producers in the United States, with regional offices in Dallas, Denver, Pittsburgh, Boston, Philadelphia and Calgary and Vancouver, Canada. Forbes magazine consistently ranks Tenaska among the 25 largest privately held U.S. companies. Tenaska and its affiliates have developed and constructed approximately 9,000 MW of natural gas-fueled and renewable power generation, and manage operations for approximately 11,000 MW of power generation consisting of 18 power plants. The company has approximately 450 MW_dc of utility-scale and distributed solar projects in operation or under construction. Tenaska affiliates also market natural gas and electric power and provide energy risk management services. Tenaska is involved in asset acquisition, natural gas fuel supply and transportation systems, and electric transmission development. For more information about Tenaska, visit www.tenaska.com.

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SOURCE Tenaska and Soltage, LLC

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