Spanish wind turbine manufacturer to install its first plant in U.S.
CHICAGO, Illinois, US, May 2, 2007. A Spanish developer of wind power will build its first production plant for wind turbines in the United States.
Acciona says the facility in the state of Iowa will provide 100 new jobs and require an investment of Euro 16.9 million. Initial production in 2008 will be 250 turbines and will increase over coming years, with construction to start immediately and finish later this year.
The 18,100 m2 facility will be constructed on a site that Acciona purchased earlier this month. It will be Acciona's fourth turbine assembly plant, joining two in Spain and one in China.
The West Branch facility will produce the AW-1500 turbine, which has a rotor diameter of 77 and 82 m for tower heights of 80 m, and will be capable of manufacturing the planned 3 MW turbine in future. Iowa ranks third in wind power output in the U.S. behind Texas and California.
Of the world’s 74,300 MW of wind power installed by the end of 2006, Acciona claims to have implemented 4,357 MW (6% of the global total). Three years after its creation, ACCIONA Windpower is the ninth-largest world manufacturer of turbines with a market share of 2.8% and, last year, it was in second place in turbine manufacturing in Spain.
“We are thrilled that Acciona has chosen the state of Iowa for its first production facility in the U.S.,” says Iowa governor Chet Culver. “Thanks to announcements like this and programs like the soon-to-be-created Iowa Power Fund, we are taking the lead in the race to become the renewable energy capital of the world and building a brighter future for our state.”
“West Branch is ideally situated, being central to wind power resources in North America,” explains Peter Duprey of Acciona Energy North America. New workers at the facility will receive an average wage of $15.14 per hour.
The facility will supply turbines for windfarms located throughout North America and, when operating at full capacity, will provide the company with global production capacity of 1,740 turbines for a total of 2,610 MW per year.
“Today, Iowa's renewable energy economy grows even stronger,” adds Mike Tramontina of the state Department of Economic Development. “This collaboration between Acciona and the State of Iowa creates high-quality jobs for Iowa workers and generates clean energy for our communities.”
Acciona Energy has installed 4,500 MW of renewable energy technologies, including 4,357 MW of wind in 163 windfarms in ten countries (of which 3,133 MW are participated by the company). It has a 25 MW straw-fired biomass facility and 59 MW in small hydro power plants, and has installed 29 MW of solar PV power (including the largest plant in Spain) and 24 MW of solar thermal capacity. In Nevada, Acciona is installing the largest solar thermal electric power plant built in the last 15 years.
Acciona Energy belongs to the Acciona Group, which had 2006 revenues of Euro 6,272 million and a capitalization of Euro 10,500 million. The Madrid company had worked with Enel of Rome to bid on ENDESA of Spain.
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