National wind report good news for state, local economies

A report released Monday (Dec. 29) by the American Wind Energy Association represents good news for the Arkansas economy and, possibly, for the economic future of western Arkansas.

The association noted in its “Wind Power Trends” report that wind power developments in 2008 are on pace to be the second-largest source of new U.S. power generating capacity for five consecutive years. The association represents more than 1,800 companies affiliated with the wind power industry.

In the past two years, four windmill-production companies have located in Arkansas with more than 2,150 direct jobs expected from the new operations. Those operations are:

• Denmark-based LM Glasfiber opened in 2008 its windmill plant at the Port of Little Rock. The company expects to invest $150 million in Little Rock and announced a target employment of at least 630.

• Nordex USA Inc. announced in October it will build a $100 million wind turbine plant in Jonesboro. The operation is expected to employ 700 people in Jonesboro.

• Polymarin Composites USA and Wind Water Technology jointly announced a $20 million investment in a shared location in Little Rock. Both companies make windmill blades and turbines and are expected to hire about 830.

Also, there is another wind energy project in the works according to Gov. Mike Beebe, who let the news slip during a recent climate initiative conference in Little Rock. The City Wire has learned that a western Arkansas location is under consideration for a windmill component manufacturing plant that could employ between 200-400.

Wind is now a mainstream option for new power generation, second only to natural gas plants in new capacity built from 2005 through 2007, and probably again in 2008, pending year-end figures, according to AWEA.

Measured by market share, wind provided 35% of all new generation added in the U.S. in 2007. And with 7,500 MW of new capacity expected when 2008 figures are released, the AWEA predicts wind is likely to contribute at least 35% of new capacity added this year.

“This is one more indicator that wind power is abundant, affordable and available now to contribute a growing portion of our national electricity supply,” the association said in its statement. “Although the industry is buffeted by the financial crisis and economic downturn, it is also buoyed by a strong strategic position and the prospect of strong policy support from Congress and the new President.”

Other points in the AWEA trends report include:

• One project under expansion, by E.ON Climate & Renewables (EC&R) North America, and scheduled to go online in mid-2009, would have a total capacity of 781.5 megawatts (MW) when it is completed. It would make it larger than The Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center, located in Taylor and Nolan counties in Texas, which is the largest wind farm in the U.S.

• Gigawatt-size projects (in the thousands of megawatts) like the ones proposed by T. Boone Pickens and Shell Wind Energy are also in the pipeline but will take several years to be built.

• President-elect Barack Obama has outlined a range of policies that would encourage investments in wind and renewables, and these policies are expected to be on the table for serious discussion and possible early action in 2009. The policies would signal a welcome shift for renewable energy technologies, whose deployment has been hampered by the absence of long-term policy stability.

• More community wind projects in 2009: The fast-growing wind power market is also opening up opportunities for community wind, which are projects owned by farmers, ranchers or other local investors or public entities.

• Industry will finalize guidelines for wind turbine O&M: When an industry becomes mainstream, it needs to put in place a variety of standards and guidelines, and wind power is no exception. AWEA and the wind power industry are working with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to develop safety guidelines for wind turbine technicians and O&M workers at utility-scale wind projects.