Vestas has unveiled plans to manufacture its newest turbine for the US market in Colorado and will invest $40m in expanding and upgrading its two factories in the state.
The V163-4.5MW machine will be produced in Vestas’ Brighton Nacelles and Windsor Blades factories, bringing new investments to its Colorado onshore manufacturing footprint, established in 2007.
Vestas’ Windsor Blades factory is expected to begin manufacturing the V163-4.5MW turbine this year with the Brighton Nacelles factory targeting production in 2024.
Both factories will continue to support the production of our 2MW platform and the Brighton Nacelles facility will continue producing its V150-4.5MW turbine.
Vestas plans to invest $40m in its two Colorado factories for building expansions, production equipment and new blade moulds, which will provide the infrastructure needed to bring the V163-4.5MW turbine to market and support the local manufacturing of subcomponents.
Vestas expects to hire between 800 and 1000 local employees to support the manufacturing efforts at both the blades and nacelle factories.
Hiring at the blades factory will begin this year and hiring for the nacelles factory is targeted for 2024.
To promote workforce development, Vestas offers an internship programme aimed at developing manufacturing skill sets and works work with local high schools to provide career development opportunities and hands-on manufacturing training for students as part of an apprenticeship scheme.
This will lead to Vestas hiring 150 local high school graduates over the coming years.
In addition to significant job creation in the region for ongoing turbine production, the expansion of Vestas’s manufacturing facilities will create local construction jobs and bring increased opportunities for local service and component delivery suppliers.
Last year alone, Vestas spent more than $465m in Colorado across the local supply chain and donates $30,000 each year to the local community.
“Wind energy is a key economic driver for local communities, and we look forward to bringing new clean energy jobs and economic development to Colorado.
“This $40m direct investment in our onshore manufacturing footprint is a testament to our commitment to deploying the V163-4.5 MW turbine across North America and beyond to support the clean energy transition,” said Laura Beane, President of Vestas North America.
“We applaud Colorado’s continued commitment to expanding clean energy as well as the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act which has helped kickstart a domestic supply chain.”
The V163-4.5MW turbine is optimised for low to medium wind speeds and designed for the US market to maximise annual energy production and accelerate the clean energy transition.
The product uses an established supply chain and existing infrastructure, including transportation, installation, and operations, to support the rapid deployment of wind energy to meet growing demand.