HHI will use the components in the 1.65MW wind turbines designed by AMSC’s wholly-owned AMSC Windtec subsidiary. AMSC expects to complete shipments under this new order by June 30, 2010.
Keh-Sik Min, chairman and CEO of HHI, said: “HHI’s vision is to be the global leader in heavy industries, providing products and services that are unrivaled in quality.
“With initial orders in Korea, the US and Pakistan, our recently launched wind turbine business is already demonstrating its global strength. We look forward to working with AMSC as we execute on our expansion plans in 2010.”
HHI licensed 1.65MW and 2MW doubly-fed induction wind turbine designs from AMSC Windtec in October 2008. Under the terms of the agreement, the company’s marketing and sales rights for both wind turbines extend to most countries, including the US and Canada.
HHI entered volume production of 1.65MW wind turbines in October 2009 and installed and commissioned its first reference 1.65MW wind turbine in June 2009, less than one year after engaging AMSC Windtec. HHI plans to commence production of 2MW wind turbines in 2010. In September 2009, HHI announced Wave Wind as its first wind turbine customer in the US.
AMSC’s wind turbine electrical control systems and core electrical components include its proprietary PowerModule power converters, pitch and yaw converters, SCADA systems and other power electronics. They enable high-performance wind turbine operation by controlling power flows, regulating voltage, monitoring system performance, controlling the pitch of wind turbine blades and the yaw of the turbines to maximize efficiency, the company said.
HHI placed an initial order for 17 sets of wind turbine electrical control systems for the 1.65MW systems in August 2009 and ordered an additional 30 sets of electrical control systems in November 2009.
The company plans to produce approximately 170MW of wind turbines in 2010 and has a wind turbine manufacturing plant in Gunsan, South Korea with an annual capacity of 600MW. It has also signed a memorandum of understanding to construct a joint wind turbine manufacturing plant in China with Datang Shandong Power Generation. HHI plans to begin production in the new 600MW facility next year.
