As the American Wind Energy Association's (AWEA) WINDPOWER 2015 Conference & Exhibition gets under way, two industry firms, Blattner Energy and Senvion SE, have separately announced North American milestones for their respective companies.
Blattner Energy, a Minnesota-based power generation contractor and provider of renewable energy construction in North America, has announced that it has more than 25 GW of wind power installed or under contract across North America. The company claims this accounts for approximately one-third of all installed wind power capacity in the U.S. and Canada.
"Milestones such as these demonstrate to lawmakers that wind power is a significant, growing and long-lasting part of the power mix," says Scott Blattner, president of Blattner Energy. "This accomplishment speaks to the outstanding work and commitment of our teams, and to the strength of the entire wind power industry.’
This milestone is supported by the wind power portfolio of Blattner Energy, its sister company, D.H. Blattner & Sons Inc., and Canadian joint-venture operation, Borea Construction ULC. The Blattner Family of Companies has built more than 195 wind projects since 2001.
According to Blattner, the 25 GW milestone includes the creation of more than 10,000 jobs in the U.S., more than 14,400 turbines installed, more than 4,100 miles of turbine access roads constructed, approximately 830 miles of transmission line installed, and more than 100 substations ranging from 69 kV to 500 kV.
Meanwhile, Germany-based turbine maker Senvion SE says it is celebrating 2 GW of installed wind capacity in North America and a fleet availability of more than 98% in the past 12 months. According to the company, the 2 GW also represent the creation of hundreds of jobs across the continent.
In fact, since its market entry in the U.S. in 2007 and in Canada in 2010, the company has established several offices, warehouses and service locations in both countries to serve its client base across the continent.
Today, Senvion says it counts about 500 employees in North America and has contributed to manufacturing jobs for the local production of wind turbine components. Furthermore, Senvion Service has comprehensive O&M contracts for 1.4 GW on the continent – half of which have already been renewed and extended to an average contract duration of 10 years.
"I am very proud of our achievements in North America," says Helmut Herold, CEO of Senvion North America. "I am convinced that the hard work done by our local teams and the flexible approach toward our customers are key elements of our success."
With Centerbridge Partners L.P. as the new owner of Senvion since April 30, Andreas Nauen, CEO of Senvion SE, says he is optimistic regarding further innovations and growth in North America as one of the company's core markets.
"Together with Centerbridge, we will take even greater advantage of our potential in the wind energy market," comments Nauen, later adding, "We will continue to expand our onshore market share, both in our top five markets of Germany, the U.K., Australia, Canada and France and in other target markets and will also cement our strong position in the offshore market."
