Monday, July 02, 2012

Winds of Change: The Wind Industry Is Leaving the US

There are a number of patterns emerging in the wind industry.

First, and most obvious, major manufacturers and developers are making plans to leave the U.S. for greener horizons due to Congress' decision not to extend the production tax credit (PTC).

First Wind, based in Boston, took $211 million plus a $150 million loan from Canadian utility Emera Inc. for 49 percent of Northeast Wind Partners, a partnership which will handle First Wind’s eight-project, three-state, 385-megawatt northeastern business. Looking to Canada, where renewable energy retains big mandates and incentives, First Wind said the new partnership could lead to $3 billion in future investment and 1.2 gigawatts of new wind.

EDP Renewables North America, the second biggest wind U.S. developer after NextEra Energy, reportedly wants to sell 707 megawatts of operating wind projects and a 1.4-gigawatt development pipeline because Spanish utility Iberdrola Renovables, its parent company, is re-evaluating its U.S. strategy.

The town of Gillett, Wisconsin, population 1,256, will lose 45 jobs when Wausaukee Composites, a plastic and fiberglass wind turbine component maker, closes its Gillette factory August 31. Many small businesses in wind’s supply chain across the U.S. will soon be following suit.

At Windpower 2012 in June, GE Energy announced recent deals in Turkey, Canada and Brazil, and CEO Vic Abate called Europe, Canada, China, Brazil and India “the growth markets of the immediate future.”

A different pattern is emerging in China.

In June 2011, new wind industry guidelines mandated that Chinese government support for turbine manufacturers would be restricted to those making 2.5 megawatt or larger machines with up-to-date, transmission-ready technology. The guidelines set off a still-unfolding consolidation in the Chinese wind industry. Some 80 percent of China’s wind makers may eventually fall or be absorbed.

The consolidation is driving heightened competition.

No comments: