American Superconductor Corporation (AMSC) has received an additional $10 million follow-on order from CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Research Institute Co., Ltd. (CSR-ZELRI) in China to supply wind turbine core electrical components. CSR-ZELRI will utilize the core components in the AMSC Windtec-designed 1.65 MW wind turbines. AMSC Windtec is a 100% subsidiary company of AMSC. The shipment of the core components is expected to be completed by the end of 2010, according to AMSC.
The first prototype wind turbine produced by CSR-ZELRI was installed by the company in Jianghua in Hunan Province of China in November 2007. In mid-2008, the company entered series production of the wind turbines. This follow-on order from CSR-ZELRI to AMSC is the fifth core component order. AMSC also received another order worth $10 million from the company in November 2009.
Under an agreement signed in December 2006 between CSR-ZELRI and AMSC, the design of the AMSC Windtec’s WT1650 wind turbine was licensed to CSR-ZELRI. Under the terms of the contract, CSR-ZELRI has manufacturing rights for the 1.65 wind turbines. The company has also the right to use and sell these wind turbines in China. CSR-ZELRI’s staff was also provided training and project management services by AMSC Windtec for its first two prototype wind turbines. AMSC will supply the core components for all the 1.65 MW wind turbines manufactured by CSR-ZELRI, as per the original license agreement.