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Monday, April 28,
2008

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Newsroom

PSE announces agreement with Farm Power

Utility and Skagit County Maas brothers to develop dairy digester
renewable energy generation

BELLEVUE, Wash. (April 24, 2008) -
Puget Sound Energy [the utility subsidiary of Puget Energy (NYSE: PSD)]
today announced the company has reached a memorandum of understanding
(MOU) with Farm Power Northwest, LLC, of Skagit County to develop a dairy
digester facility to produce electric power from manure, a technology that
holds the promise of both an environmentally friendly energy source and a
benefit to local dairy farmers and the Skagit County economy.

PSE,
in conjunction with Farm Power founders Kevin and Daryl Maas of Mount
Vernon, signed the agreement as a first step toward generation of up to
1.5 megawatts (MW) of electric power – enough to meet the needs of 1,000
households or a city the size of La Conner. Under the agreement, PSE will
purchase electricity generated by Farm Power as well as the associated
renewable energy credits resulting from the renewable energy source.

“Puget Sound Energy has been a great resource in taking our ideas
one key step closer to reality for Skagit County,” said Kevin Maas,
president of Farm Power. “My brother, Daryl, and I are excited about what
this project can do for farmers in the Mount Vernon area. We see this as
just the beginning of a long-term source of renewable energy and of
additional income to local dairies.”

A dairy digester practically
eliminates greenhouse-gas emissions from manure storage, while reducing
manure-handling expenses and compensating each participating farm for
supplying manure.

“This technology is a true win-win, for the
environment, the economy and for the dairy farmers of Skagit County,” said
Kimberly Harris, executive vice president and chief resource officer for
PSE. “The Maas brothers have a great entrepreneurial spirit and commitment
to their community, and a vision of what can be done on a local level that
has a broader benefit to help meet the challenges of climate change.”

At present, Farm Power has manure commitments from four dairy
farmers west of Mount Vernon and is permitting a site located near them.
The manure will be used in the generation of power by warming it in the
digester to spur microbes to produce methane gas. The methane then fuels
electrical generators, with the excess heat being used to warm additional
manure and continue the electrical generation cycle.

In addition
to the expected 1.5 MW of electricity, by-products will include sanitary
bedding for use with dairy cattle and a more environmentally compatible
liquid fertilizer to be stored in the farms’ holding lagoons. Compared
with unprocessed manure, the nitrogen in this liquid is easier for plants
to absorb and is less likely to mix with rain runoff.

“Farm Power
and PSE are a great team,” said Daryl Maas. “With a little help from the
cows of Skagit County, we can all work together to introduce a
sustainable, renewable energy technology that can make dairy farming more
profitable and help protect Skagit farmland.”

Puget Sound Energy’s
experience in dairy digesters was a key component in making the MOU with
Farm Power possible. In 2004, PSE supported the development of
Washington’s first dairy digester at the VanderHaak Farm near Lynden in
Whatcom County.

Recent steps taken by the Washington state
legislature and Governor Gregoire have aided in making dairy digester
technology economically viable. On March 31, 2008, the governor signed
Senate Bill 6806, extending the six-year property tax exemptions
previously given to ethanol and biodiesel facilities to dairy digesters.
The bill, written and sponsored by State Senator Mary Margaret Haugen,
D-Camano Island of Skagit County, was supported by testimony earlier in
the legislative session by the Maas brothers.

Media Contact:
Andy Wappler, 1-888-831-7250

About Puget Sound Energy
Washington state’s
oldest and largest energy utility, with a 6,000-square-mile service area
stretching across 11 counties, PSE serves more than 1 million electric
customers and nearly 729,000 natural gas customers, primarily in Western
Washington. PSE meets the energy needs of its growing customer base
through incremental, cost-effective energy efficiency, procurement of
sustainable energy resources, and far-sighted investment in the
energy-delivery infrastructure. PSE employees are dedicated to providing
great customer service to deliver energy that is safe, reliable,
reasonably priced, and environmentally responsible.

About
Farm Power
Skagit County’s 15,000 dairy cows form a vital part
of a diverse agricultural community that raises 90 different crops on some
of the world’s best farmland. Farm Power was formed to generate new value
from these cows, developing manure-to-energy projects that will benefit
dairy farmers and the community. Just like its partner farmers, Farm Power
is investing in the long term in a sustainable food and energy supply. For
more information, visit http://www.farmpower.com/.

© 2008 Puget Sound Energy.
All rights reserved.

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