Wind energy in Nebraska: Vestas wind turbines for 400 MW wind farm

Is Vestas’ largest single-phase project ever in the United States. Vestas has received a firmorder in the United States for 200 V110-2.0 MW wind turbines for the Grande Prairie wind farm in Holt County, Nebraska.  In megawatt terms, the project will be Vestas’ largest single-phase project ever in the United States.  

Vestas sold its first wind turbines in the United States in 1980, and established its North America subsidiary the following year.  As of the end of 2014, Vestas had installed 12,602 MW in the USA.  In 2014, Vestas announced 2.2 GW of orders for delivery in the USA and has entered into master supply agreements or similar constructs with a potential of up to approx. 3 GW. Approximately 4,800 U.S. employees work in our four Colorado factories, in our sales and service headquarters in Portland, Oregon, and at close to 200 wind sites currently under service contract with Vestas.
The order was placed by BHE Renewables, LLC, an affiliate of Berkshire Hathaway Energy, which owns a portfolio of energy businesses including the U.S. utilities PacifiCorp, MidAmerican Energy Company and NV Energy.

The announcement marks the first turbine supply contract that BHE Renewables and Vestas have executed.  Berkshire Hathaway Energy’s businesses own wind projects representing more than 4 gigawatts of wind across the West and Midwest.

Chris Brown, President of Vestas’ sales and service division in the United States and Canada, is encouraged by the new relationship.  “BHE Renewables is a major player in the U.S. wind sector.  Their parent company is well known and respected for its long-term investments in fundamentally sound industries,” Brown said. “We’re extremely pleased that they have chosen our workhorse turbine, the V110-2.0 MW, for Grande Prairie.”

Tom Budler, President of the wind division of BHE Renewables, commented “We are pleased to be utilizing Vestas as the sole provider of turbines for the Grande Prairie project.  When completed, Grande Prairie will be the largest wind project in Nebraska and will have a major impact on Nebraska’s economy and energy future.”

The project’s scope includes supply and commissioning of the wind turbines as well as a five-year Active Output Management (AOM5000) service agreement, which is designed to maximize energy production. Deliveries are expected to being in the second quarter of 2016, with project completion expected by the end of 2016.