Alliant Energy Corporate Services Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Alliant Energy Corp., has entered into a master supply agreement (MSA) with Vestas-American Wind Technology Inc. The agreement provides Alliant Energy's wholly owned utility subsidiaries, Interstate Power and Light Co. (IPL) and Wisconsin Power and Light Co. (WPL), with a total of 303 units of Vestas' V82 – 1.65 MW wind turbines to support Alliant Energy's utility-owned wind generation plan.
The turbines will have a total installed capacity of 500 MW and will be delivered in three groups. Under the terms of the MSA, Vestas will begin delivery of the initial group of turbines in 2009, with delivery for the final two groups of turbines beginning in 2010. The total purchase price for the wind turbine equipment under the agreement is expected to be approximately $817 million, subject to adjustments.
The company expects the wind turbine equipment to meet the utilities-owned wind generation plan, including IPL's Whispering Willow Wind Farm – East project, which is a 200 MW site located in Franklin County, Iowa, and also support a portion of other anticipated utility-owned wind generation projects.
‘A total of 500 MW of wind generating capacity will make a significant contribution to the company's power supply in the states where the turbines will be installed," says Jens Soby, president of Vestas Americas A/S. "As such, this order is further proof that wind is poised to become a major player in the national energy mix. What we have seen so far in the USA is just the beginning. With a stable federal political framework in place that will allow for planning in the medium- and long term, the industry can start to fully utilize the abundant wind resources in this country.’
SOURCE: Alliant Energy Corp.
