Vestas has secured a firm order from Pattern Energy to power a significant portion of its SunZia Wind project in New Mexico, USA, as revealed in Company Announcement no. 20/2023, dated December 27, 2023. This is Vestas’ largest order to date in the US market and the largest single land project worldwide. The 1.1 GW order, consisting of 242 V163-4.5 MW wind turbines, is also the largest order globally for Vestas’ newest high-capacity factor turbine.
The order includes the supply, delivery and commissioning of the 242 wind turbines, as well as a multi-year Active Output Management 5000 (AOM 5000) service agreement, designed to ensure optimized performance of the asset.
“Reaching this monumental order milestone is a testament to Vestas’ unwavering dedication to advancing wind energy solutions throughout the United States. We continue to see an increase in demand for renewable energy and are proud to be at the forefront of this transformation.” said Laura Beane, president of Vestas North America. “Vestas is committed to driving the transition to a sustainable energy future in the U.S. and we are excited to continue shaping the renewable energy landscape for years to come.”
“Our order for 242 wind turbines from Vestas is a major step toward building the nation’s largest wind energy facility, SunZia Wind, which will generate clean energy for 3 million Americans in Western markets,” said CEO Hunter Armistead. by Pattern Energy. “The majority of the 242 Vestas wind turbines will be manufactured in the United States, helping SunZia create thousands of new manufacturing and construction jobs. “We are proud to build this historic project together with Vestas that will help the United States transition to renewable energy.”
Vestas’ first onshore order of over 1 GW in the US market follows its recent commitment to invest $40 million across its domestic footprint to manufacture the V163-4.5 MW turbine. Activities to expand its two factories in Colorado are nearing completion, including building and production equipment expansions, as well as hiring up to 1,000 local employees.
“With the majority of the 1.1 GW deal being sourced domestically, we underscore our commitment to deploying American-made renewable energy across the United States,” said David Ivan, senior vice president and chief operating officer of Vestas North America. “We look forward to expanding our domestic supply chain and maximizing our manufacturing footprint to bring innovative and reliable wind turbine technology to market.”
The V163-4.5 MW wind turbine is based on the proven 4 MW platform and leverages an established supply chain. The design takes into account US conditions and addresses transportation, installation and operation issues to support the rapid deployment of wind energy in response to growing demand. This year in the US alone, Vestas has received almost 4.5 GW of orders for its latest technology and the majority of these were received in the last quarter of the year.
“Providing our newest high-capacity factor wind turbine for the largest wind energy infrastructure initiative in the US is a very proud moment for Vestas Americas. By leveraging proven technology and utilizing a well-established supply chain, the V163-4.5 MW is ideal “We are positioned for markets facing grid constraints, such as the United States. “This record order clearly demonstrates what is possible for renewable energy in the U.S.,” said John Eggers, Chief Technical Officer, Vestas North America.
Delivery of the 242 wind turbines is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2025 and final commissioning is scheduled for the first half of 2026.
