Australian Minister joins BP in Launching Largest Solar Plant in the Southern Hemisphere 
 
June 29, 2001

Sydney, Australia - Australian Minister for Industry, Science & Resources, Senator, the Hon Nick Minchin, was on hand today to join with BP in officially opening the largest solar manufacturing plant in the southern hemisphere. BP's newest solar energy plant will treble the country's production capacity of clean energy technology. Opening in Homebush Bay in Sydney, the new plant will manufacture BP's high efficiency solar panels, bringing valuable export dollars to the country with over 60% of the panels to be exported around the world.

BP invested over $20 million to build the plant that is providing over 200 high tech jobs.

The new facility houses all of BP Solar's Australian manufacturing, design and market support facilities. Cell annual output capacity will reach 25MW in 2001 and the plant has the capability for possible further expansion. Each year's cell production is estimated to mitigate 35,000 tons of carbon dioxide (C02) emissions. Moreover, the effect is cumulative, with one year's production mitigating 1 million tons of CO2 over the life of the product.

"As global demand for solar power continues to grow, we must expand to maintain our leadership role in the industry," said Harry Shimp, President and CEO of BP Solar. "It has been an honour to be a leader in manufacturing solar technology in Australia for over 20 years and we are pleased that today's announcement will expand our strong relationship with Sydney and with Australia as a leader in solar power worldwide."

The state of the art manufacturing facility not only makes solar panels to provide environmentally friendly energy, but also embodies a growing trend of environmentally friendly building practices in its construction. The plant itself mitigates Carbon Dioxide emissions through the use of Solar Cells capturing energy from its car park, roof and north side-facing windows. Additionally, the facility incorporates low power, high efficiency lighting, on-site waste water and emission treatment plant, zero ozone depletion air conditioning and extensive recycling.

The manufacturing expansion was the latest in BP's long relationship with Australia. The company has operated solar manufacturing facilities in Australia for over 2 decades and enjoys a leading market share in the Asia-Pacific Region. BP Solar provided the solar panels that powered the homes in the Olympic Village - the largest solar suburb in the world - and the lighting towers lining Olympic Boulevard.

Note to Editors:

Major recent solar projects include:
- Supply of solar panels to the athlete's village for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia
- $30 million contract in Indonesia for one of the world's largest rural electrification projects
- $90 million project to supply solar power to some 400 remote villages in the Philippines
For further information and more detail on these and other projects, please refer to the BP Solar website - www.bpsolar.com

BP Solar, the leading solar energy company in the world, manufactured over 40 Mw of solar panels last year, translating to almost $200 million USD revenues and a 20 percent global market share. The company is growing at an annual rate of 25-30 percent and expects to double worldwide manufacturing capacity from 2000 levels by 2003. It operates manufacturing facilities in the US, Spain, India and Australia

For more information, contact:
In Australia: Sue Wardrope - +61 (2) 8762 5742
In the US: Bo Harmon - +1 (410) 981-0240
 

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