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Mar 21, 2007 12:12 pm US/Mountain
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Vestas Wind Systems Announces New Plant In Windsor
WINDSOR, Colo. (AP) ―
Vestas Wind Systems plans to build its first U.S.-based blade factory in Windsor, employing about 400 people here, the Danish company officially said Tuesday.
Total investment in production equipment, land and buildings will be about $60 million, the wind power technology supplier said.
Construction on the 200,000-square-foot plant was scheduled to begin this spring, and production was expected to start early next year.
The plant would be able to make about 1,200 blades per year.
Gov. Bill Ritter has said he wants to establish Colorado as a national leader in renewable energy.
The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, Upstate Colorado Economic Development, the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation and the town of Windsor all encouraged Vestas to put its plant in Colorado.
Windsor offered incentives of $800,000 in deferred development fees and tax breaks, and Weld County offered about $300,000 more in tax breaks, interim Town Manager Kelly Arnold said.
The town estimated the payback period for the incentives would be four years.
State incentives included training money of $2,000 per job, up to 464 jobs, for a total of $928,000, said Jeff Holwell, director of business development for the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade.
Holwell's office began talking to Vestas last summer about possible investments in Colorado. He said Vestas had been considering other spots in North America for a plant but did not know details.
"It's not easy sometimes for communities to attract good quality companies, and this one is a fairly good size. One of the things I like about it is it's a good company for the environment," Mayor Ed Starck said.
"We look at it as an opportunity to bring in a well-known international company into Windsor with a highly desirable industry and 400 jobs," Arnold said.
Vestas cited the town's access to rail services and a skilled work force as reasons for choosing Windsor.
The company has installed more than 31,500 wind turbines in more than 60 countries and employs about 12,000 people worldwide.
Its plant in Windsor will go near the $140 million Owens-Illinois Inc. plant that feeds more than 1 billion bottles a year to Anheuser-Busch Inc.
(© 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)