Installation of the wind turbines is scheduled to begin this year, with the start of operations expected for the fourth quarter of 2015. Upon completion of the project, Southern Company subsidiary Southern Power will acquire the wind facility from Apex Clean Energy, marking the company’s first wind project. Apex will continue to serve as asset manager of the project.
“Apex is pleased to be working with Siemens to bring the benefits of affordable, renewable energy to Oklahoma and Kansas,” said Apex President Mark Goodwin. “This project will help boost the Kay County economy and support local schools, while helping to reduce rates for energy consumers in the Southwest Power Pool system.”
The 299-MW project is expected to create enough clean energy to power approximately 100,000 average U.S. homes annually. Power produced at the site will be purchased by Westar Energy and GRDA. The project will feature Siemens SWT-2.3-108 wind turbines, each with a power rating of 2.3 megawatts (MW) and 53 meter blades.
The Siemens SWT-2.3-108 wind turbines are part of the company’s G2 platform of onshore geared products – the workhorse of Siemens’-installed portfolio with rotor diameters optimized for all wind conditions. The G2 platform features highly-engineered, designed and manufactured components, exceptional reliability and low operational costs for an optimized return on investment.
The nacelles for the project will be assembled at the Siemens facility in Hutchinson, Kansas. The blades will be manufactured at the Siemens blade facility in Fort Madison, Iowa.
A long-term service and maintenance agreement was also signed for the project and includes Siemens’ remote monitoring and diagnostic services, which offer a proactive approach to service and maintenance to help bolster the performance of the turbines during their lifetime. Siemens’ Financial Services (SFS) Division has committed to fund up to $80 million of the project's construction financing.
Siemens recently achieved the 10-GW installed capacity milestone in the Americas, with its 5,600 installed wind turbines in Canada, the U.S. and South America. Nearly 5,000 wind turbines are installed in the U.S., and are capable of producing clean, renewable power for more than 2.5 million households every day.
Siemens is a leading supplier of reliable, environmentally friendly and cost-efficient renewable energy solutions. Driving down the cost of wind power is a key goal for Siemens, helping to make renewable energy competitive with conventional energy sources.