Siemens receives 300 MW wind project order for Oklahoma

Siemens wind energy division has been awarded a 300 MW contract to provide wind turbines to the Apex Clean Energy Kay Wind project, set to be located in Kay County, Oklahoma. Siemens announced the news earlier this week, which includes a supply and service agreement to accompany the 130 wind turbines. Installation of the Siemens SWT-2.3-108 wind turbines is expected to begin this year, and current operations are expected to begin in the fourth quarter.

“Apex is pleased to be working with Siemens to bring the benefits of affordable, renewable energy to Oklahoma and Kansas,” said Apex President Mark Goodwin. “This project will help boost the Kay County economy and support local schools, while helping to reduce rates for energy consumers in the SPP system (Southwest Power Pool).”

“We are proud to work with our customer Apex Clean Energy on this project, which gives us the chance to strengthen our position in the U.S. wind market,” said Thomas Richterich, CEO Onshore, Siemens Wind Power and Renewables Division. Upon completion of construction, Southern Company subsidiary Southern Power will acquire the wind facility from Apex, which will therefore become the company’s first wind energy project. While Apex will continue to serve as asset manager of the project, Siemens will also continue as service and maintenance, after signing a long-term agreement which includes remote monitoring and diagnostic services.

This announcements comes not so long after MAKE Consulting crowned Siemens the global leading wind turbine OEM company, beating out GE and Vestas. Not long after this announcement, Siemens itself released the results of an in-house study it had conducted to test the actual cost of wind energy — including manufacturing, constructing, etc. To quote directly from our own coverage of Siemens’ findings:

In terms of how long it takes for an onshore wind farm to account for the volume of energy it consumes over its lifespan, Siemens study found that at an average wind speed of 8.5 metres per second, it would only take between 4.5 and 5.5 months. What’s most impressive about this figure is that it takes into account materials, production, construction, operation, maintenance, dismantling, and recycling into account — which is to say, every feasible aspect of a wind farms lifespan is accounted for in under 6 months.

http://cleantechnica.com/2015/04/03/siemens-receives-300-mw-wind-project-order-oklahoma/