The largest ever single order for onshore wind power has gone to Siemens AG. MidAmerican Energy Holdings of Iowa, owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Holdings, has ordered 448 wind turbines to be installed in five different projects. The value of the order is said to be more than $1 billion. Siemens will be responsible for service and maintenance.
Each turbine has a rating of 2.3 megawatts, for a combined capacity of 1,050 megawatts. This would be equivalent to the power output of one nuclear reactor, according to analysts, and is enough power for nearly 320,000 households.
The turbines, each with three rotors measuring 53 meters long, are being shipped from the production site in Fort Madison, Iowa to the five projects. The nacelles and hubs will be assembled at the Siemens plant in Kansas.
Iowa is a leading state for wind energy generation. In 2012, approximately 24 per cent of the state’s total power generation came from wind power.
Siemens has already installed 1.2 gigawatts of wind power capacity for MidAmerican Energy. When the new order is included, the total wind projects will supply around 660,000 households with power. Completion is set for 2015.
Siemens is a leading supplier of wind power, both offshore and onshore. According to a release about the Iowa contract, Siemens derives 43 per cent of its revenues from its Environmental Portfolio, making it one of the world’s leading providers of “eco-friendly technology.”
