Vestas, the world’s leading supplier of wind turbines, recently announced it is seeking to consolidate its presence in Portland, Oregon, by building a new headquarters for Vestas Americas, the company’s business unit responsible for wind turbine sales, installation, and service and maintenance in North America. This announcement is addition to previous announcements of the companies committment the creation of green jobs in the North American wind industry.
Vestas Americas has been headquartered in Portland since 2002. In addition to the headquarters, Portland is home to one of Vestas’ regional IT centers, a tools warehouse and the Vestas Business Academy training facility. The proposed new headquarters, which is expected to be over 500,000 square feet in size and LEED Platinum certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), will consolidate Vestas’ presence in Portland as well as allow for future growth.
Vestas Americas employs over 1,000 people, located at sales, project and service sites throughout the United States and Canada. The Portland-based workforce currently accounts for more than 300 of Vestas Americas’ employees.
The plans to expand Vestas Americas’ headquarters follow a number of recent announcements that Vestas is in the process of establishing a significant manufacturing and research base in the United States. The company’s investments in the American market reflect a strong belief that wind power will be an essential part of the United States’ clean energy solution. In 2008, Vestas opened its first manufacturing facility in Windsor, Colorado. The blade factory in Windsor will in 2009 and 2010 see the addition of another three factories, a second blade factory, a nacelle assembly factory, and a tower factory, to be built in Brighton and Pueblo, Colorado. In addition to the production facilities, Vestas has just opened a new research and development hub in Boston, Massachusetts, and in 2009, Vestas will also be opening a research center in Houston, Texas
Summary of Vestas in North America
Vestas opened its first North American manufacturing plant in Windsor earlier this year. The 650-employee facility will produce 1,800 giant wind blades a year.
The new Brighton facilities, which should be operational by July 1, 2010, will include:
- A $180 million blade-manufacturing facility that will produce 1,800 blades a year and provide 650 new jobs.
- A $110 million nacelle assembly factory ( to be their largest in the world) that will produce 1,400 nacelles a year and provide 700 new jobs.
- A Technology and Production Engineering Office.
All told, Vestas’entire commitment to Colorado represents a nearly $700 million capital investment and 2,450 new jobs
The 178-acre site is located in unincorporated Weld County and will be annexed into Brighton. Vestas is purchasing 112 acres from Brighton and 66 acres from RTD, which obtained the land from the Union Pacific Railroad.
In addition, Vestas intends to build the world’s largest tower-manufacturing facility elsewhere in Colorado; the exact location has not yet been announced.
All told, Vestas’entire commitment to Colorado represents a nearly $700 million capital investment and 2,450 new jobs.
United States Jobs with Vestas.
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