Siemens Energy has secured a turbine supply and service contract from customer Pattern Energy for the 182MW Panhandle 2 wind power project in Carson County, north-east of Amarillo, Texas.
The contract will see Siemens supplying 79 SWT-2.3-108 wind turbines with US-made rotor blades and nacelles in addition to providing service and maintenance of the project, which will generate enough electricity to power nearly 56,000 American households.
Siemens’ wind turbine blade facility in Fort Madison, Iowa will manufacture the 237 rotor blades with a length of 53m each, while the company’s Hutchinson facility in Kansas will assemble the 79 nacelles
Once operational by the end of 2014, 80% of the expected output of the project is contracted under a long-term, energy price hedge with an affiliate of Morgan Stanley, while the balance paid at ERCOT’s spot market prices.
The company is expected to begin component deliveries in March 2014, while commissioning of the turbines is set for November 2014.
The service agreement includes remote monitoring and diagnostic solutions and advanced weather forecasting techniques that will ensure the long-term reliability and performance of the turbines and enable predictive maintenance at well-timed periods, improving the plant’s output.
In December 2013, Google finalised an agreement to invest $75m in the project and the investment is the company’s second in the Texas Panhandle following the $200m investment in Spinning Spur in 2013.
Pattern Energy CEO Mike Garland said the project, featuring Siemens turbines with US-made rotor blades and nacelles, create manufacturing jobs, alongside many local construction jobs.
"These American-made Siemens turbines will harness the power of the wind at one of the windiest sites in Texas, creating a strong new source of clean energy without using any of the region’s limited water supplies," said Garland.
Contractor Mortenson Construction will be responsible for the construction of Panhandle Wind 2, a part of the broader 400MW Panhandle Wind project, which also includes 218MW Panhandle 1.
Mortenson is currently constructing Panhandle 1 wind farm, which will feature 118 1.85MW turbines from General Electric Company.
Image: Panhandle 2 wind power project will consist of 79 Siemens SWT-2,3-108 wind turbines. Photo: courtesy of Siemens.
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