Wind Energy

Wind energy: Bennet visits composites factory, urges PTC extension

The Hexcel plant, which employs 103 workers, is part of the growing wind turbines supply chain that has sprung up across the country over the past several years, opening more than 400 factories and boosting the domestic content in wind turbines installed in the U.S. from 25 percent in 2005 to more than 60 percent today.
 
Plant manager Steven Corbiere told the Windsor Beacon that 95 percent of the factory’s output goes to a nearby turbine rotor blade manufacturing facility owned by Vestas Americas.

Said Bennet of the PTC, "There are some in Congress who think we can horse around on this tax credit because it doesn’t expire until the end of the year, but businesses like this one need … stability in order to make long-term plans … We face an enormous challenge in this economy. We need to focus on bringing back manufacturing jobs, because even though they don’t employ the numbers of people they once did, lots of smaller plants are still putting lots of people to work."

There is bipartisan support in Congress and in Colorado for an extension, Bennet added: "Republicans and Democrats alike want to support this for our state." Bennet is also gathering signatures of Colorado residents on a petition supporting the PTC.

Tom Gray, www.awea.org/blog/