BluePoint Energy Announces a Joint Strategic Agreement with Southern California Gas Company
Showcase Center to Feature BluePoint Lean-One 260 kW Power System
Granite Bay, California, November 13, 2002 - Chapeau, Inc. dba BluePoint Energy ("BPE®") announced today that it has entered into a Joint Strategic Agreement ("Agreement") with Southern California Gas Company ("The Gas Company"), the largest natural gas distribution utility in the United States. Under the Agreement, The Gas Company will provide internal funding to certain commercial customers sponsoring Showcase Center(s) within The Gas Company's service territory of central and Southern California with the goal of demonstrating the capabilities of Distributed Generation (DG) and Cogeneration utilizing the BPE® Lean-One System. The Gas Company will begin identifying the initial Showcase Center immediately. Under terms of the Agreement, The Gas Company may add additional Showcase Centers over the next two years.
BluePoint CEO, Guy Archbold, explained:
We are extremely gratified to receive the sponsorship and support of the largest natural gas distribution utility in the United States. The Joint Strategic Agreement allows for development of Showcase Centers supporting The Gas Company's investment mandate to identify and help commercialize ‘potentially revolutionary new technology that has the ability to dramatically affect the marketplace'. As a new entry to the DG marketplace, we are extremely gratified to have that distinction placed upon our BPE® Lean-One 260 kW System. The BPE® Lean-One System technology adapts a natural gas lean burn reciprocating engine that produces low operating temperatures with associated long engine life while producing emission levels dramatically below the most stringent emission restrictions in the United States without the use of expensive Selective Catalyst Reduction. We have combined our extremely low emission package with our state of the art control technology and heat recovery systems into one single, "plug-and-play" packaged Combined Heat and Power (CHP) system.
The prestigious Technology Development Group at Southern California Gas Company is highly visible and respected throughout the Utility Industry, thus the Joint Strategic Agreement clearly highlights the value of the BluePoint Lean-One System. We look forward to working with Southern California Gas Company and its Sempra Energy affiliates to exemplify the many advantages of on site Distributed Generation.
While going forward in California, BPE® is expanding its product line to other geographical markets. To that end, we are currently reviewing the BPE® Lean-One System with other major gas and electric utilities, including the New York State Energy Research and Development Agency (NYSERDA), a leader in the promotion of CHP. We firmly believe this initial Joint Strategic Agreement with Southern California Gas Company will help endorse those efforts.
About Southern California Gas Company
The Gas Company is the nation's largest natural gas distribution utility, serving 18 million people through 5.1 million gas meters in more than 530 communities. Headquartered in Los Angeles, The Gas Company's service territory encompasses 23,000 square miles in central and Southern California.