CONTACT:

Robert P. Thornton, President
International District Energy Association
Cell: 508-254-8082

Monica Westerlund
Westerlund Communications Inc.
Cell: 612-590-2324
mlw@westerlund.com

Trudy Sherwood
District Energy St. Paul
651-297-8955
trudy.sherwood@districtenergy.COM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 9, 2004

St. Paul Executive Named Chair of International Energy Group

BOSTON – Anders Rydaker, president of District Energy St. Paul, was elected 2004-2005 chair of the International District Energy Association (IDEA) June 28 at the annual meeting of the organization’s 95th Annual Conference & Trade Show in Seattle. District Energy St. Paul will serve as host to IDEA’s 96th conference June 26-29, 2005.

An IDEA member for more than 20 years, Rydaker has headed District Energy St. Paul and District Cooling St. Paul since September 1993. He is also the chief manager of Market Street Energy Co. During his tenure at District Energy, Rydaker has initiated several energy-saving projects for the company, including the development, implementation and operation of a combined heat and power system that primarily burns renewable wood waste.

District Energy St. Paul is the largest hot water district heating system in North America. In 1993, it received IDEA’s System-of-the-Year Award. [For more on the St. Paul systems, go to http://www.districtenergy.COM].

Rydaker has more than 30 years of experience in the district energy field. A native of Sweden, he came to the United States in 1983 to provide on-site consulting service during construction of the hot water district heating distribution system and the conversion of a steam heating plant in St. Paul. He returned to Sweden in 1990 for three years, during which he helped develop the nation’s first commercial district cooling system in Stockholm – today the largest in Europe. In December 2003, Rydaker was awarded the Prestigious Energy Prize in Sweden for his achievements in energy conservation technology.

District energy is an efficient, environmentally responsible method of heating and cooling buildings. District energy systems produce steam, hot water or chilled water at a central plant. The steam or water is then piped underground to individual buildings within a designated area for heating, cooling or use in industrial processes.

The 700-member IDEA was founded in 1909 and comprises heating and cooling executives, managers, engineers, consultants and equipment suppliers from 12 countries. [For more on IDEA, go to http://www.districtenergy.ORG.]