New turbine blades enhance turbine performance and reliability
DULUTH, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr. 15, 2019--
ALLETE Clean Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of ALLETE (NYSE: ALE),
announced today it has received the 45th set of new wind turbine blades
from international blade manufacturer Tecsis for its refurbishment
initiative at its Storm Lake and Lake Benton wind facilities in Iowa and
Minnesota, respectively.
ALLETE Clean Energy announced an $80 million project in August 2017 that
includes replacing select blades, gearboxes and generators on turbines
at the Lake Benton wind site in Lincoln County, Minnesota, and the Storm
Lake I and II wind sites in Buena Vista and Cherokee counties, Iowa. The
project will improve turbine performance and reliability, generate
federal production tax credits at each site and support the renewal of
power sale agreements at the Storm Lake sites.
Tecsis will provide more than 300 blades, utilizing the latest design
and manufacturing technology to drive improved wind turbine generator
performance.
“Tecsis provided a cost-effective, turnkey solution that has exceeded
our expectations,” said Bill Sawyer, general manager – operations at
ALLETE Clean Energy. “Tecsis has demonstrated its ability to design,
manufacture and deliver blades and manage the project that will position
Storm Lake and Lake Benton to continue safe, reliable and increasingly
efficient clean energy production for years to come.”
The refurbishment is being staged from 2017 through 2020 to minimize
turbine downtime and maximize safe energy production at each site. In
total, the sites produce about 700,000 megawatt hours of energy per
year, representing about 50 percent of ALLETE Clean Energy’s current
electricity sales. More than half of the sites’ turbines have been
refurbished, improving performance and qualifying them for federal
production tax credits, supporting continued delivery of clean energy to
utility customers across the upper Midwest.
“We are extremely excited about our partnership with ALLETE, a
world-class power producer that constantly seeks the best energy
solutions for North America’s renewables market,” said Fabiano Mori,
chief executive officer of TECSIS. “Their ability to explore
opportunities and their passion to create innovative solutions are
undoubtedly some of the main reasons for their growth and something we
take as an inspiration for our own business. We hope this project leads
to more opportunities together in the future, helping them to deliver
affordable, sustainable power to communities across the U.S.”
In addition to the turbine refurbishments that will continue through
2020, the project has completed installation of new communications
infrastructure at the sites, integrating them into ALLETE Clean Energy’s
corporate operations structure. New fiber optic connections, servers,
and data acquisition and management systems will improve the operation
of each site and secure the best performance.
Energy from the Lake Benton site is fully contracted through 2028, and
approximately 8 megawatts of Storm Lake I production is contracted
through 2032. Alliant recently extended its contract from Storm Lake II
through mid-2020. ALLETE Clean Energy is working to recontract the
balance of the Storm Lake I power sales agreements that expire in late
2019.
“ALLETE Clean Energy is consistently building shareholder value as it
executes a thoughtful growth strategy,” said Allan S. Rudeck Jr, ALLETEClean Energy president. “Maintaining and enhancing the Lake Benton and
Storm Lake sites, along with extending power sales agreements, provide a
cost-effective platform to sustain and grow the clean energy American
businesses and citizens increasingly expect. Our partnership with Tecsis
has been a winning formula, and their wind turbine blade expertise and
knowledge brings great value to us and, ultimately, to our customers.”
ALLETE Clean Energy acquires, develops and operates clean and renewable
energy projects. ALLETE Clean Energy currently owns and operates, in
four states, approximately 545 megawatts of nameplate capacity wind
energy generation that is contracted under PSAs of various durations.
ALLETE Clean Energy also engages in the development of wind energy
facilities to operate under long-term PSAs or for sale to others upon
completion.
ALLETE Inc. is an energy company headquartered in Duluth, Minnesota. In
addition to its electric utilities, Minnesota Power and Superior Water,
Light and Power of Wisconsin, ALLETE owns ALLETE Clean Energy, based in
Duluth; BNI Energy in Bismarck, North Dakota; and has an 8 percent
equity interest in the American Transmission Co. More information about
ALLETE is available at www.allete.com.
ALE-CORP
TECSIS has more than 51,000 blades installed worldwide and almost 25
years of blade technology expertise. The company has repositioned itself
through its OPTIMA Program as a solution provider and not simply a blade
manufacturer, delivering a complete and affordable turnkey solution for
repowering and life extension projects for wind farms, extending the
useful life and improving the performance of customers’ assets. More
information about TECSIS is available at www.tecsis.com.br
The statements contained in this release and statements that ALLETE
may make orally in connection with this release that are not historical
facts, are forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ
materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. These
forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and investors
are directed to the risks discussed in documents filed by ALLETE with
the Securities and Exchange Commission.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190415005602/en/
Source: ALLETE Inc.
Amy Rutledge
Manager - Corporate Communications
218-723-7400
arutledge@allete.com