Ingeteam, a Spanish wind and solar component manufacturer, plans to build a $15 million facility in Milwaukee to manufacture equipment for renewable energy projects.
Construction of the 100,000 square-foot combined production facility and office complex is expected to begin in April, with completion set for December. The company expects to begin manufacturing operations in January 2011 and will employ about 275 workers by 2015.
This will be Ingeteam's first manufacturing facility in the U.S. When completed, the plant will focus primarily on the renewable energy industry, producing Indar wind power generators and Ingeteam converters and solar power inverters for the North American market.
‘The area boasts prestigious universities with some of the highest-ranked engineering departments in the country that offer specific courses in renewable energy, which will be very useful when it comes to finding specialized staff,’ says Aitor Sotes, CEO of Ingeteam Inc., Ingeteam's subsidiary in the U.S.
Ingeteam has an office in suburban Milwaukee that has provided operations management and maintenance services for U.S. wind projects since 2008.
Ingeteam has identified the U.S. as a growth market for wind energy and expects its global market share to rise by having a U.S.-based manufacturing operation to supply the North American market. At full capacity, the Milwaukee plant is expected to supply equipment capable of producing 7,500 MW of electricity each year.
The Milwaukee plant will produce generators and converters for 1.5 MW to 5 MW wind turbines, and solar power inverters that range from 2.5 kW units for residential use up to 500 kW units for utility-scale installations. Ingeteam plans to add a facility for system testing in the future.
SOURCE Ingeteam Inc.
