Gamesa, a global technology leader in wind energy, has announced that enXco, an EDF Energies Nouvelles Company, has executed a purchase agreement to acquire the Chestnut Flats Wind Farm in Pennsylvania.
The 38-megawatt Chestnut Flats wind farm in Logan Township, northwest of Pennsylvania, features 18 Gamesa G90-2.0 MW and one Gamesa G87-2.0 MW wind turbines. Full ownership of Chestnut Flats will transfer to enXco, subject to satisfaction of typical closing conditions, which is expected by the end of the 2011.
"With the sale of the Chestnut Flats project to enXco, Gamesa continues to demonstrate our capabilities not just as a world leader in the manufacture of wind turbines but also as an industry leader in the development, construction and sale of wind farms here in North America," said Jiddu Tapia, Gamesa's Chief Development Officer for North America. "This agreement will give enXco, a well-respected owner/operator of renewable energy generation assets, its first project in our own home state of Pennsylvania."
Tristan Grimbert, president & CEO of enXco, stated: "We are very pleased to bring Chestnut Flats Wind into our growing generation portfolio. This marks our first operational wind asset in Pennsylvania and we look forward to developing a long-term relationship with the landowners and local community."
Gamesa owns 518 MW of wind farms in the US to develop and contruct by 2012
Chestnut Flats will be the third wind farm Gamesa has developed in Pennsylvania. Gamesa also built the 80-megawatt Allegheny Ridge Wind Farm and 70-megawatt North Allegheny Wind Farm in southwestern Pennsylvania. In the same state, the nearby 50-megawatt Sandy Ridge Wind Farm is under construction, and completion is planned for the end of the year.
The 38MW Chestnut Flats wind farm is the first of the 518 megawatts being developed and constructed by Gamesa in the U.S. and scheduled to go commercial by the end of 2012.
Pennsylvania currently has 17 operating wind farms with a production capacity of 818 megawatts, with another 100 megawatts under construction. Approximately 40 percent of Pennsylvania's currently installed wind capacity comes from Gamesa --either through projects Gamesa developed directly or through projects developed by others using the turbines manufactured by Gamesa--.
The US accounts for 14% of total sold MW
Gamesa, whose manufacturing presence in the US dates to 2005, owns two plants, a nacelle plant and a blade plant, both in Pennsylvania and employs more than 900 people in the country. The company also has a technology centre in Chesapeake, Virginia, devoted to develop offshore technology.
In the US, Gamesa has supplied wind turbines to more than 27 wind farms. Nowadays, the US accounts for 14% of Gamesa's total sales.