Siemens Gamesa has secured a repowering order from MidAmerican Energy Co. for the Rolling Hills wind project.
The order totals 429.3 MW, representing what Siemens Gamesa calls the largest repowering order to date in North America. The company will repower the project with 163 SG 2.7-129 turbines and 18 previously sold SWT-2.3-108 turbines.
Rolling Hills, located in Adair, Adams and Cass counties in Iowa, currently features 193 SWT-2.3-101 turbines. The repowering project includes replacing the blades, hubs and nacelles for all units and the top tower sections for the SG 2.7-129 units. Commissioning of the project is expected in late 2021.
“We are excited to provide upgraded equipment and technology to the Rolling Hills project in Iowa, a national leader in the wind energy industry. This new project is a testament to MidAmerican Energy’s confidence in us, as well as Iowa, where we have supplied them with more than 2.6 GW,” states José Antonio Miranda, CEO of onshore Americas at Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy. “The blades will be produced right there in Iowa, and the nacelles and hubs will come from neighboring Kansas, making this a truly local project.”
To date in the U.S., Siemens Gamesa has installed more than 10,000 wind turbines, totaling approximately 20 GW of installed capacity. In Iowa, the company has installed nearly 1,400 wind turbines for a total of almost 3.5 GW.
