First Wind orders 30 wind turbines from Siemens for Kawailoa Wind Energy Project

The 2.3 MW wind turbines were selected as the right technology and equipment that best match the characteristics of the proposed project site on Oahu’s North Shore.

The proposed 69 MW Kawailoa Wind project will be located on the Kawailoa Plantation lands above Haleiwa on the North Shore of Oahu. The project is designed to provide a source of clean, renewable energy to about 14,500 Oahu homes. The project is scheduled to begin construction in late 2011.

With more than 3,500 units installed, the Siemens SWT 2.3 wind turbines are the workhorses of the Siemens wind power portfolio. The turbines, which have a strong track record, also meet the technical requirements of the Hawaiian Electric Corp.

The Kawailoa project will provide economic benefits in the form of a clean, local energy source that does not depend on imported fuel and a stable energy price that hedges against the volatility of fossil fuel prices. It would also provide environmental benefits in the form of reduced emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants produced by typical fossil-fuel generation.

As with all of First Wind’s Hawaii projects, Kawailoa Wind will feature a comprehensive Habitat Conservation Plan to provide a net benefit to the native species that may be impacted by the project.

First Wind has developed and currently operates wind energy projects in the Northeast, the West and in Hawaii, with a total installed capacity of 695 MW and another 181 MW in construction. Today’s announcement represents the first Siemens wind turbines to be incorporated into First Wind’s fleet of turbines.

By José Santamarta, www.evwind.com