Spanish energy and construction firm Acciona, the world's largest wind power developer, has acquired exclusive rights to develop 1,300MW worth of wind assets in Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin from US firm EcoEnergy, an alternative energy solutions developer and unit of The Morse Group.
Acciona expects to install approximately 150MW or more from this pipeline in 2008 alone. The acquisition represents Acciona’s continued expansion in North America as a long-term owner and operator of wind developments and renewable energy solutions.
Acciona said that, as well as helping the company’s expansion strategy, the wind power projects will help Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with traditional electric generation facilities.
Acciona will be supplying its own wind turbines for each of these development projects from its new US production facility that is currently being constructed in Iowa. Upon its completion in late 2007, the 200,190 square foot plant will supply turbines for Acciona wind farms throughout North America.
The plant will use Acciona’s proprietary technology to produce its AW 1.5-77 and AW 1.5-82 turbine models. The Iowa facility will be Acciona’s fourth wind turbine assembly plant; two currently operate in Spain and one in China.
The EcoEnergy acquisition fits extremely well with the addition of our wind turbine manufacturing facility in Iowa and leveraging the local support for wind energy in the Midwest, said Peter Duprey, CEO of Acciona Energy North America.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.