Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority Purchases Pratt & Whitney SWIFTPAC Units

HARTFORD, Conn., July 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Pratt & Whitney Power Systems, Inc., a United Technologies Corp. company , signed an agreement with Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) to provide four 55-Megawatt Pratt & Whitney Power Systems FT8(R) SWIFTPAC(R) gas turbines to be located in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The units will run during intermediate intervals to maintain the power needs of Puerto Rico and help to support baseload requirements. The first two SWIFTPAC(R) units will be operational in November 2007 and the remaining two units are scheduled for commissioning in May 2008.

The scope of the project includes all civil works, fuel systems, water systems and high voltage systems. It also includes the removal of existing Frame 5 gas turbines to be replaced with the FT8 SWIFTPAC gas turbines

"We are pleased to have been selected by PREPA to provide a reliable and economic power solution to support the customers of Puerto Rico," said Peter Christman, president of Pratt & Whitney Power Systems. "The SWIFTPAC has a successful track record designed to provide quick, reliable and environmentally friendly power as a low-cost solution for Puerto Rico's power needs."

The FT8 series is a derivative of Pratt & Whitney's JT8D aircraft engine, one of the most successful in aviation history. The FT8 gas turbine leverages the experience of the JT8D while incorporating updated technologies to produce power with less noise, lower emissions and higher base-load and part-load efficiency using natural gas fuel. The FT8 has been in production since 1991 and operates at more than 70 customer sites around the world, with more than 300 units installed or on order. The FT8 has a fleet reliability level greater than 98 percent and has accumulated more than 2 million hours of operation.

Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines. United Technologies, based in Hartford, Conn., is a diversified company providing high technology products and services to the global aerospace and building industries.

Jennifer Whitlow Suzanne Child Pratt & Whitney P&W Power Systems Tel: 860.565.9600 Tel: 860.557.0809 jennifer.whitlow@pw.utc.com suzanne.child@pw.utc.com