Siemens Wind Power Nacelle Facility Celebrates Grand Opening
In Numbers
- Hutchinson, KSLocation
- 289,842 s.f.Square Footage
- 12 monthsOperational
Siemens Energy, Inc. celebrated the Grand Opening of their 277,000 s.f. wind power nacelle manufacturing plant in Hutchinson, Kan. on Friday, December 3, 2010. The complex manufacturing plant, about the size of 5 football fields, is a structure designed to carry heavy loads to allow the movement of nacelles throughout the building.
This manufacturing plant’s annual planned output will be approximately 650 nacelles or 1,500 megawatts per year. Nacelles are 90-ton oblong steel structures perched atop wind turbine towers that house generators, gears and electrical systems. The first 90-ton nacelle is slated for shipping from the factory later this month.
Gray Construction, ranked 6th among the U.S. Top Manufacturing Contractors, provided architecture, construction management, civil, electrical, mechanical and structural engineering and LEED management application for this project. Gray is aiming for LEED® Gold Certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). Teqton, a joint-less, maintenance free floor slab was installed in this facility – making it the first of its kind in the U.S.
If you have manufacturing plant construction needs, please contact Phil Seale, Vice President, Manufacturing at pseale@gray.com.
Please see below for an article that appeared on iStockAnalyst.com on December 3, 2010.
Siemens Demonstrates its Confidence in the U.S. Renewable Energy Market by Continuing to Invest in the U.S.
HUTCHINSON, Kan., Dec. 3, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — In line with its ongoing U.S. manufacturing expansion efforts, Siemens Energy celebrated the official opening of its new wind turbine nacelle assembly facility in Hutchinson, Kansas, today. This is an important milestone in Siemens’ growth strategy in the U.S., further demonstrating the company’s stated commitment to U.S. investment and its confidence in the long-term future of the U.S. renewable energy market.
“We’re investing in wind in America because we believe that wind power is here to stay. The U.S. is one of the most important wind power markets in the world and by opening our first nacelle assembly facility in the U.S., we are closer to our customers, allowing us to better meet the strong demand for clean energy right where it’s used,” stated Eric Spiegel, CEO of Siemens Corporation. “We are optimistic that there will continue to be a long-term support system for wind power in the U.S., which will serve to solidify our country’s growing energy independence using this clean and abundant natural resource to fulfill a sustainable electricity demand.” With a five-year average growth rate of 39 percent and nearly 37 GW of installed wind power capacity, the U.S. is currently ranked number one globally in terms of installed capacity.
Senator Sam Brownback said, “The grand opening of the Siemens wind nacelle manufacturing plant is great news for the Hutchinson community and the state of Kansas. The expansion of renewable energy infrastructure is critical as America looks for ways to decrease its dependence on foreign, non-renewable energy resources. I look forward to all the ways my home state of Kansas will take the lead on increasing national access to wind energy as we continue to grow the Kansas economy and create jobs.”
The new 300,000-square-foot facility is located in the heartland of the U.S. with great highway and rail access to ship completed nacelles to wind farms in the U.S. and throughout the Americas.
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