Dec 23 2010
Western Wind Energy has declared that it has acquired 120 MW of Gamesa G8X-2.0 series of wind turbines. Gamesa would supply the total 120 MW to Windstar wind project at the Tehachapi Pass in Southern California.
This project would be the biggest wind energy farm in the US by Western Wind Energy and it would also be Gamesa’s first project with Western Wind. As per the agreement, Gamesa would also provide maintenance and operation services for a period of ten years. The 60 wind turbines would be supplied from April 2011 onwards. The two models from the G8X-2.0 MW platform, which are to be supplied, would be manufactured in their Fairless Hills factory in Pennsylvania. All the 60 turbines have been purposely designed for high temperatures and would be installed on towers which are 67 meters high. Gamesa would also undertake to supervise the construction work on the wind farm straight away. Western Wind Energy is to supply electricity to Southern California Edison as per a 20 year agreement.
According to Dirk Matthys, Gamesa’s CEO in North America, this contract with Western Wind would increase their stronghold in the US market. Western Wind Energy’s CEO, Jeffrey J. Ciachurski, commented that Gamesa was selected after a taking a rigorous and painstaking survey of the major manufacturers mainly because of the excellent and robust performance of its G8X-2.0 platform in all its 9200 MW installations all over the world.
Western Wind Energy is using the funds available from the Section 1603 Program as a partial funding source for the Windstar construction. This program was ratified in 2009 February and was created as a part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA). It supplies cash payment to the developers as an option instead of a 30% production tax credit (PTC) and investment tax credit (ITC).
Gamesa has been functioning in the US from 2005 onwards with an employee base of 800 people and two manufacturing plants in the Pennsylvanian region. Its production capacity is more than 1000 MW annually. The US market accounts for 22% of the wind turbine generator sales by the company. It hopes to improve its market position and sales and foretells a 15% sales growth in the period between 2009 and 2013. Western Wind at present owns over 500 wind turbines with a rated capacity of 165.5 MW in the States of Arizona and California.