Windsor turbine plant deal finalized

WINDSOR, ONTARIO - A deal announced last month to build a wind turbine manufacturing plant in Windsor, Ontario, that would create 300 jobs has been finalized, Mayor Eddie Francis said.

The deal is between the city, the province and Samsung C&T Corp., whose Korean partner CS Wind will build and run the plant.

The wind power facility will go in the old Valiant plant in Windsor's east end. The automotive industry supplier will sell the building to CS Wind.

Last month, Ontario Energy Minister Brad Duguid said Windsor was chosen because of the automotive design and manufacturing skills of workers in the region, in addition to easy road, rail and shipping access to other parts of the province and the northeastern United States.

The city will also build a rail line as part of the deal.

Construction is expected to start soon, officials said.

Samsung officials have said they will be hiring welders, painters and machinists who will earn wages in the range of $18 to $20 an hour. The facility is expected to open in September 2011 and produce between 200 and 300 wind turbines a year.

Last year, Samsung signed a $7.5-billion energy deal with the province in exchange for incentives to triple Ontario's renewable wind and solar energy generation. Some say it is the biggest renewable energy deal in the world. The company agreed to open four manufacturing plants by 2015 and create 16,000 direct and indirect jobs in green energy.