Vestas to supply 55 turbines for California wind farm

A public utility in California has ordered 55 wind turbines from manufacturer Vestas, for a wind farm near Rio Vista, between Sacramento and Oakland.

Sacramento Municipal Utility District is to use 24 machines rated at three megawatts each, Vestas' V90-3.0MW turbines, along with 31 of the company's 1.8MW machines, the V90-1.8MW.

Totaling 128MW in total capacity, the contract for the Solano 3 wind project includes delivery and commissioning, as well as a 15-year maintenance agreement.

Vestas, the world's largest wind turbine manufacturer, said the turbines are scheduled for delivery in the second half of 2011, with commission to take place in early 2012.

The Solano 3 order follows on from the Danish company supplying turbines for the Solano 1 wind farm in 2005 and the Solano 2 wind farm in 2007. The first project used 23 V47-660kW turbines, while the second project was the first in North America to use the Vestas V90-3.0MW turbine, with 29 of the machines.

Martha Wyrsch, President of Vestas Americas, said today: "SMUD is a highly respected long-time customer of Vestas and one of the leading utilities in the use of renewable energy. We are extremely pleased to work with SMUD to help create more clean energy in California."

Made in the USA

The main components for the Solano 3 order will be produced at the Vestas manufacturing cluster in Colorado, the company said.

Blades will be made at the Vestas blade factory in Windsor, tower sections at the Vestas tower factory in Pueblo and nacelles for the V90-1.8MW machines assembled at the Vestas plant in Brighton.

The V90-3.0 MW nacelles will be assembled in Denmark.

The sixth largest public utility in the country, Sacramento-based SMUD is a community-owned electric utility, which serves about 1.1 million people with electricity.

The SMUD's Solano 3 order is Vestas' ninth North American deal announced in 2010, totaling 1,464 MW distributed among four turbine types.