Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has decided to build a wind turbine manufacturing plant at Fort Smith in the US state of Arkansas. The new plant, which will fabricate the nacelles for wind turbines, is scheduled to start up in the second half of 2011 with an initial annual production capacity of 600 MW. MHI looks to expand its share in the North American market, which is now in an upward recovery trend. The new plant will be the company’s first nacelle production plant located outside Japan. It is to be constructed witht he benefit of incentive measures provided by Arkansas state and Fort Smith municipal government in line with the IRS 48C Advanced Energy Project Tax Credit.
The new facility will be operated and managed by Mitsubishi Power Systems Americas, Inc. (MPSA), MHI’s power systems business base in Florida. Construction on an already secured site of roughly 90 acres (approx. 360 000 square metres) is scheduled to begin within this year.
The company’s plans call for the plant to begin operation with about 300 employees. The initial manufacturing target will be around 250 units of 2.4 MW wind turbines per year, with the scale of operations to be expanded incrementally. MHI is also considering the launch of longer bladed turbines for low wind-speed applications.
The nacelles will be made complete with their rotor axis, generator, multiplying gearbox, control system and electrical equipment.
MHI started making sind turbines in 1980, and delivered its first unit to the USA in 1987 and since then the company has sold more than 3500 units into the US market. The US wind turbine market slowed after the global financial crisis but is now in a recovery trend and expected to mark strong growth. MHI already has a turbine blade manufacturing plant serving the US market: VienTek, LLC, located in Mexico.