Danish wind turbine maker Vestas has secured wind turbine orders totalling 60MW from affiliates of Renewable Energy Systems Americas (RES Americas) to be used for wind energy projects in the US.
Vestas stated that it could ultimately supply RES Americas up to 610MW overall.
Under the contract, Vestas will supply its V100-2.0 MW turbines to each project. The wind turbines will be delivered and commissioned in 2014 and 2015. The names and specific locations of the new projects have not revealed.
Vestas’ president of sales and service division in the US and Canada Chris Brown said, "Transactions like this underscore the value delivered by the Production Tax Credit and the importance of extending it beyond its current expiration at the end of 2013.
"Our US manufacturing facilities will produce blades, nacelles and towers for these projects which will help keep our factory workers busy. Vestas has a strong partnership with RES Americas and we appreciate their confidence in our products and services," Brown added.
Vestas stated that the new projects will feature its Active Output Management (AOM) 4000 maintenance program which guarantees turbine availability. The service option includes the VestasOnline surveillance system to remotely control and monitor the turbines as well as predict potential maintenance issues. This allows Vestas to plan maintenance so the turbines are operational for the maximum amount of time.
RES Americas president and CEO Susan Reilly said, "We are very pleased to have finalized this agreement with Vestas. This is a great example of how the ‘start-of-construction’ language in the current production tax credit for wind energy is generating increased spending and creating US manufacturing jobs.
"This purchase, which we expect to increase as these projects move forward, would not have occurred but for the decision Congress made to qualify any project that starts this year," Reilly added.
