Vestas has secured a firm order from Pattern Energy to power a major portion of its SunZia Wind project in New Mexico, USA. It is Vestas’ largest order to date in the US market and its largest single onshore project globally. Consisting of 242 V163-4.5 MW turbines, the 1.1 GW order is also the largest order to date for the company’s newest high-capacity factor WTG.
The contract includes supply, delivery, and commissioning, as well as a multi-year Active Output Management 5000 (AOM 5000) service agreement.
“Our turbine order with Vestas is a huge step towards building the largest wind power facility in the country, SunZia Wind, that will generate [power] for 3 million Americans across western markets,” commented Hunter Armistead, CEO of Pattern Energy. “The majority of the Vestas turbines will be made … in the United States”.
Vestas’ first onshore order of more than 1 GW in the US market follows its recent commitment to invest $40 million in its domestic footprint to manufacture the V163-4.5 MW turbine. Activities are nearing completion to expand its two Colorado factories.
The V163-4.5 MW turbine is based on the established 4 MW platform and takes advantage of an established supply chain. The design takes into account US conditions, addressing transportation, installation, and operational aspects to support the rapid deployment of wind energy in response to the growing demand. This year alone in the USA, Vestas has received almost 4.5 GW of orders of its latest technology with the majority of those being received in the final quarter of the year.
Turbine delivery is planned to begin in the first quarter of 2025 with final commissioning scheduled for the first half of 2026.
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