As part of the contract, Siemens will transport, erect and commission the 15 direct drive wind turbines.
“We’re very excited to apply this leading-edge direct drive technology to capture more of the already superior North Dakota wind resources,” said Eric Norberg, Minnesota Power Senior Vice President of Strategy and Planning.
“Our customers will benefit from the additional energy production for many years. We’re pleased to partner with Siemens in this leading application of the direct drive turbine in North America,” he said.
Minnesota Power had originally ordered 33 SWT-2.3-101 wind turbines for the two phases of the Bison 1 wind power plant near Center, North Dakota. Bison 1A currently has 16 SWT-2.3-101 wind turbines being installed and Bison 1B will have 15 SWT-3.0-101 direct drive wind turbines delivered in August 2011.
The utility modified its original order, replacing 33 Siemens SWT-2.3-101 geared wind turbines to now include 16 2.3-MW SWT-2.3-101 and 15 innovative 3-MW SWT-3.0-101 direct drive machines.
“With the SWT-3.0-101 direct drive wind turbine, our customers like Minnesota Power get an innovative and high-quality product from a partner whom they can trust. This game-changing wind turbine is a reliable investment in the future of power generation,” said Jens-Peter Saul, CEO of the Siemens Wind Power Business Unit.
Wind power is part of Siemens’ Environmental Portfolio, its revenue reaching €28 billion in fiscal 2010.
In the same period, Siemens’ products and solutions enabled customers to reduce their carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 270 million tons, an amount equal to the total annual CO2 emissions of the megacities Hong Kong, London, New York, Tokyo, Delhi and Singapore.
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