Vestas has announced four major turbine orders, as well as a service agreement renewal, for the U.S. wind power market.
Terra-Gen has placed an order for 159 MW of V117-3.45 MW turbines, delivered in power-optimized mode to 3.6 MW, for the Voyager II wind project in California. The project, including previously purchased 4 MW components qualifying for the production tax credit (PTC), has a total size of 193 MW.
The order includes the supply and commissioning of the wind turbines, as well as a five-year Active Output Management 5000 (AOM5000) service agreement, Vestas’ full-scope service package maximizing uptime and energy production. Delivery will begin in the second quarter.
Next, with reference to an announcement Vestas made in June 2016, the company has received a firm and unconditional order from MidAmerican Energy Co., a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Energy, for 46 V110-2.0 MW turbines for the Wind XI project. The order includes previously purchased PTC-qualifying components.
The order includes supply and commissioning of the wind turbines, as well as a five-year AOM 5000 service agreement. The turbines will be manufactured at Vestas’ Colorado factories, and delivery will begin in the fourth quarter.
When fully operational, the Wind XI project will ensure MidAmerican generates approximately 90% of its retail energy load from wind. The Wind XI project consists of multiple Iowa sites placed into service between 2017 and 2019. More orders under the master agreement between the utility and Vestas are expected to occur as partial deliveries.
Next, Xcel Energy Inc. has placed the first V120-2.0 MW order in North America for the 138 MW Foxtail wind project in North Dakota. The V120-2.0 MW offers the 2 MW platform’s longest blades, says Vestas.
Including previously purchased 2 MW PTC components, the Foxtail wind project will be 150 MW upon completion. It is part of Xcel Energy’s proposed multi-state wind expansion to add 3,680 MW of new wind generation to its system across 12 projects in seven states. This expansion will increase Xcel Energy’s wind capacity to more than 10 GW by the end of 2021.
“We are pleased to expand our portfolio with Xcel Energy and supply the V120-2.0 MW, our most advanced turbine in the 2 MW platform, for the Foxtail project, which will help Xcel Energy realize their vision to deliver low-cost wind energy to their customers,” comments Chris Brown, president of Vestas’ sales and service division in the U.S. and Canada.
The new order includes supply and commissioning of the turbines, as well as a 10-year AOM 5000 agreement. Turbine delivery will begin in the second quarter of 2019. Xcel Energy and Vestas previously partnered on the 600 MW, under-construction Rush Creek wind project in Colorado.
From an undisclosed customer, Vestas has received an order for 209 MW of V136-3.45 MW turbines delivered in 3.6 MW power-optimized mode. Delivery of the turbines is expected to begin in the fourth quarter. The order includes supply and commissioning of the wind turbines, as well as a seven-year service agreement.
Lastly, Vestas has renewed and extended a portfolio of service agreements with an undisclosed customer for 1,150 MW of U.S. wind projects. Vestas has provided service for the projects, covering multiple Vestas platforms, since their commissioning and will, with the renewals, extend the service agreements to 10-year terms, including balance-of-plant management.
“We’re extraordinarily pleased to extend our service partnerships and continue to drive project performance and profitability over the long term,” says Brown. “These renewals are a testament to the customer’s commitment to getting the lowest-cost energy through optimized project performance and long-term certainty. We are pleased to help deliver on this commitment over the lifetime performance of their assets.”
