USA - Allete Company - operating division of Minnesota Power - purchases Siemens Direct drive turbines for its Bison 2 wind energy center in North Dakota

Highlighting the major benefit, Siemens underlined that its direct drive turbines feature only half the parts required for a conventional geared wind turbine and a significantly smaller number of moving parts, allowing for increased output and improved maintainability.

As far as the latest deal is concerned, the scope of supply for the wind power plant includes the transportation, erection and commissioning of the 35 wind turbines, as well as a three-year service and maintenance agreement.

Deliveries of the wind turbines will commence in August 2012, and the wind power plant is scheduled for commissioning by the end of 2012. Minnesota Power is already using direct drive turbines from Siemens at its Bison 1 project near Center, North Dakota. Bison I will consist of 33 wind turbines with a total nameplate capacity of 75.9 MWs and will be phased into service in late 2010 and 2011.

For its part, Minnesota Power announced the expansion of its wind energy development in North Dakota by 105MW in 2012. The company submitted plans to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) to construct a second wind project, comprising 35 wind turbines in Oliver and Morton counties in central North Dakota.

The $157 million project will help move Minnesota Power closer to meeting Minnesota’s Renewable Energy Standard of achieving 25% renewable energy by 2025.

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