Spanish-U.S. Venture Formed To Build Offshore Turbines
One of the world’s largest wind developers and the largest U.S. shipbuilder will work together to engineer and build wind turbines specifically designed to withstand harsh marine environments. The Oct. 6 announcement from Madrid, Spain-based Gamesa and Los Angeles-based Northrop Grumman Corp. was one of many significant announcements made earlier this month at the American Wind Energy Association’s first-ever offshore wind conference.
Gamesa and Northrop say they will develop and test two 5-MW wind turbines by the end of 2012. One will be installed either on the Atlantic Coast or in the Great Lakes, while a second will be tested on land. Gamesa already is working on a 6-MW to 7-MW offshore turbine it expects to deploy by 2014. About 40 employees from both companies will begin work in October at a new site in Hampton Roads, Va.