GE Vernova wins 2.4GW onshore wind turbine order for Pattern Energy’s SunZia mega project
GE Vernova wins 2.4GW onshore wind turbine order for Pattern Energy’s SunZia mega project | Windpower Monthly
The manufacturer has signed a deal to supply 674 of its 3.6-154 turbines to the SunZia mega project currently being developed in New Mexico.
The 3500MW SunZia Wind project is expected to be the largest wind energy project in the western hemisphere. The remaining 1.1GW of wind turbines not covered by the GE order will be supplied by Danish manufacturer Vestas.
The massive 2.4GW order will see GE increase its installed capacity with Pattern Energy to 4.3GW on completion. Pattern Energy expects the wind farm to begin operations in 2026.
GE Vernova said the deal represents the largest onshore wind turbine order it has ever received in terms of the number of turbines being supplied and the total capacity they will represent once operational.
Vic Abate, chief technology officer at GE and CEO of GE Vernova’s wind business, described the deal as “historic” and said it would deliver “critical” energy to the growing power demands of the western US.
The deal represents the culmination of 18 months of collaborative work between GE Vernova and Pattern on the SunZia project, with supply chain and site optimisation work based around the supply of the “workhorse” 3.6-154 wind turbines. GE is looking to focus on a smaller number of "workhorse" turbines that can be produced in volume, rather than offering multiple variations. The manufacturer also provided high-tech consulting and financial services during project development.
Hunter Armistead, the CEO of Pattern Energy, said the cooperative work between the two companies on SunZia meant the location and turbines chosen for the project would maximise performance and also create thousands of new manufacturing and construction jobs.
GE Vernova will supply the project from various US manufacturing facilities including its nacelle plant in Pensacola, Florida, and tower factories in Belen, New Mexico, Pueblo, Colorado, and Amarillo, Texas.
The deal comes amid renewed confidence in the domestic supply chain for renewable energy infrastructure promoted by the US government’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which gives tax incentives for renewable energy projects manufactured and built in the US.
“Mega projects like SunZia, coupled with the IRA, are enabling our continued investments in wind technology, domestic manufacturing, and product quality. These investments are aiding the country’s efforts to decarbonize the electric grid in support of climate change goals,” Abate said.
Power purchase agreements – including one signed by oil major Shell and the University of California – have already been signed for the energy expected to be produced by SunZia.
The project is due to send electricity across the US south-west via an 885km transmission line– work on which was halted in November after an urgent request from indigenous groups that live in the region.
Related Knowledge Center: Offshore wind energy
Over the next decade, U.S. offshore wind power is expected to grow from a single 30-megawatt wind farm off Rhode Island to more than 2,000 MW of capacity along the Atlantic Seaboard. There are contracts for wind power off the coasts of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Virginia.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has estimated the United States has over 4,000 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind potential, enough to power the country four times over.
The growth in part being spurred by state solicitations, including in New York, where then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) set a commitment of 9,000 MW of offshore wind by 2035, and in Connecticut, where in June 2021, Gov. Ned Lamont (D) signed legislation authorizing the construction of 2,000 MW of offshore wind by 2030.
The offshore development is also being driven by an investment tax credit set to end in December 2019 and is equal to 12 percent of expenditures. U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Tom Carper (D-Del.) have introduced a bill to extend the tax credit for up to eight years.
The Interior Department has held eight competitive lease sales that resulted in 15 offshore wind leases over 1.7 million acres that has the potential for 21 GW of capacity. In February 2022, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management completed a bidding process that realized $4.37 billion for 488,000 acres across six lease areas in federal waters off New York and New Jersey.
Projects have also been proposed off the Southeast coast, off California and Hawaii, and for the Great Lakes.