Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas is doing strong business in the United States in the third quarter so far, taking in just under 350 megawatts worth of wind turbine orders in the space of two weeks.
After taking in orders for the US wind industry worth 632 MW (megawatts) during the second quarter of this year, Vestas has in the past two weeks announced 348 MW worth of new wind turbine orders for the United States alone. This brings the total number of wind turbine orders from the United States up to 1,776 MW (according to publicly available information).
The American wind energy industry is on track to have another strong year if the most recent figures from the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) are anything to go by. Published late-July, the AWEA released statistics for the second quarter which showed that, while only 357 MW worth of wind energy was installed during the second quarter, there are nevertheless 40% more projects currently under development than at the same time a year earlier.
It is unsurprising, therefore, that Vestas, the world’s leading wind turbine installer, would be heavily involved.
Just over two weeks ago, Vestas announced that it had been awarded a firm and unconditional order for 200 MW worth of wind turbines for the 200 MW Flat Top wind project set to be developed in central Texas. Vestas will provide 100 of its V110-2.0 MW turbines to the project, as well as a 10-year service agreement, with delivery expected to be in the fourth quarter of this year, and commissioning one-quarter later.
“With Flat Top Wind I, LLC’s order and the transaction above, we are honored to partner with Alterra Power Corp. on our inaugural US project together,” said Chris Brown, President of Vestas’ sales and service division in the United States and Canada, “Over the course of its lifetime, a single turbine creates 30 jobs, and with the Flat Top project we will once more demonstrate the economic benefits that wind energy delivers to both the local and state communities.”
Last week, Vestas followed up with a second announcement, revealing that it had received another firm and unconditional order for 148 MW worth of wind turbines from Southern Power, for the Cactus Flats wind project being developed in Texas. Vestas will provide 43 of its V1126-3.45 MW wind turbines and a 20-year service contract for the project, with delivery again scheduled for this fall and commissioning planned for next year.
“We are pleased to be part of Southern Power’s growing wind portfolio this order further expands our 4 MW footprint in North America, reaffirming both the versatility and proven ability of our platforms to deliver low-cost, reliable wind energy,” added said Chris Brown.
Source: cleantechnica.com
