Southern California Gas Company
Website: www.socalgas.com
Granite Bay, California, November 13, 2002 - Chapeau, Inc. dba BluePoint Energy, Inc. ("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.
About Chapeau, Inc. dba BluePoint Energy, Inc.
Chapeau, Inc. dba BluePoint Energy, Inc. designs, assembles and sells packaged CHP and power generation systems to Utilities, Energy Service Companies, and Commercial end user's in need of reliable, efficient, clean, and cost effective energy solutions. The Company trades publicly on the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board under the ticker symbol CPEU.
NOTE: The foregoing is news relating to Chapeau, Inc. dba BluePoint Energy, Inc. (the "Company") and contains forward-looking statements, which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. When used in this report, the words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect" and similar expressions as they relate to the Company or its management, including without limitation, Chapeau, Inc. dba BluePoint Energy, Inc. (as defined herein) and/or the Company's other subsidiaries, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. The Company's actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from the results expressed in, or implied by these forward-looking statements. For a discussion of additional factors that may affect actual results, investors or interested parties should refer to the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission; in particular, its annual report on Form 10-K, most current 10Q and other filings as may be relevant. This does not constitute an offer to buy or sell securities by the Company, its subsidiaries or any associated party and is meant purely for informational purposes.