Oct 14 2009
Siemens Energy has been awarded six new wind turbine orders in North America, totaling more than 565 megawatts (MW). Of the approximately 250 turbines every fourth unit is destined for Ontario, with the remainder to be installed in the US, in California, Oklahoma, Washington and Wyoming. Together, these onshore wind farms have the potential to provide clean power to approximately 170,000 North American homes. The total order value is more than EUR600 million.
“These orders prove that the wind industry’s fundamentals are still strong, even in times of an economic downturn,” stated Wolfgang Dehen, CEO of Siemens Energy. “The continuing support for renewable energy from the administrations in the U.S. and Canada is having a positive effect on wind project development.”
Since Siemens entered the wind market in 2004, the company has become the third largest wind turbine supplier to the North American market. To better serve the world’s leading wind power market, Siemens is investing in new manufacturing facilities in the U.S., creating new green collar jobs in North America. Today, Siemens employs roughly 900 highly skilled workers in its North American wind power business - a number that is expected to grow.
In September, Siemens broke ground on its new wind turbine assembly facility in Hutchinson, Kansas, to better meet the increasing demand for clean energy in the Americas. The 300,000-square-foot wind turbine nacelle facility is scheduled to become operational in fall 2010 and will employ approximately 400 green-collar employees. The plant’s annual planned output will be approximately 650 nacelles – or 1,500 megawatts. Siemens also recently opened, and subsequently expanded, its blade manufacturing facilities in Fort Madison, Iowa.
Wind power is one of the biggest contributors to the company’s environmental portfolio. In 2008, revenue from products and solutions of Siemens’ environmental portfolio was nearly EUR19 billion, which is equivalent to around a quarter of Siemens’ total revenue, making Siemens the largest provider of environmentally friendly technology.