March 30, 2007
Wisconsin
Wisconsin
We Energies has purchased 88 wind turbines from Vestas Wind Systems for construction of the Blue Sky Green Field wind project in Fond du Lac County.
Construction of the project in the towns of Calumet and Marshfield is expected to begin in summer 2007 and will take about one year to complete, according to a We Energies press release. Six months will be needed for site preparation and the installation of turbine foundations and cabling. An additional six months will be required for turbine erection, assembly and commissioning.
This represents the state’s largest wind project to date to begin construction.
Each Vestas V82 turbine is capable of producing 1.65 megawatts of electricity for a project total of 145 megawatts, enough energy to power approximately 36,000 homes.
A purchase price was not disclosed, but the total cost of the wind farm project is expected to be about $300 million, according to the release.
Vestas’ core business comprises the development, manufacture, sale, marketing and maintenance of wind power systems that use wind energy to generate electricity. Vestas has a long history of wind development.
Headquartered in Denmark, the company began manufacturing wind turbines in 1979 and has installed more than 32,500 wind turbines in more than 60 countries worldwide.
“We are pleased with the equipment selection and purchase agreement we have with Vestas,” said Rick Kuester, executive vice president of Wisconsin Energy Corporation, the parent company of We Energies. “Throughout the selection process we evaluated a number of turbine models and vendors to ensure we received favorable economics and technology that is well suited to the project site. The Vestas V82 turbine has proven to be the most competitive and is available for the earliest delivery dates.”
“Vestas began a relationship with We Energies in 1999 with the supply of We Energies’ first wind turbines located in the town of Byron and we are very pleased to be part of the much larger Blue Sky Green Field wind project,” said Jens Søby, president of Vestas-Americas. “We Energies has selected an excellent turbine and we look forward to working closely with them to make this project a great success.”
The Wisconsin Public Service Commission approved the project in February.
29 March 2007
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/03/30/fdl-county-wind-farm-construction-set-to-begin-this-summer/