After the uncertain fate of the production tax credit (PTC) led Siemens to lay off approximately 37% of its U.S. wind energy workforce last year, the company is now in the process of restaffing its operations in Fort Madison, Iowa, and Hutchinson, Kan., company spokesperson Monika Wood confirmed to NAW.
Although the tax credit has been renewed, Siemens' decision to hire more workers is not a direct result of the PTC extension, Wood says. In fact, the company is restaffing in order to produce wind turbine components for projects located outside the U.S.
"While the recently passed one-year PTC extension is not directly related to our need to ramp up production at this time, the PTC extension gives us confidence in the American market," Wood tells NAW. "As projects move forward and we receive new wind turbine orders sparked by the PTC extension, we will continue to adjust our operations accordingly."
Woods says that some of the company's decisions will be based on the results of further guidance from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department on the definition of what constitutes "begin construction" in order for projects to qualify for the PTC.
"We cannot evaluate the potential impact of the extension on our business until detailed guidance on the interpretation of the language change from an ‘in service’ to a ‘begin construction’ date is released," Wood notes.
