Wind turbine components plant coming to Kansas

Groundbreaking occurred on September 18 for a 300,000- to 330,000-square-foot building to be built on a 108-acre site in the Salt City Business Park. The building will include an 80,000-square-foot nacelle service facility. The main building will be divided among one large building and two smaller ancillary buildings. The plant will manufacture wind turbine nacelles; large, RV-sized structures on the top of the towers that contain the generators; gears; and electrical systems. The plant also will manufacture hubs for wind turbines, which are the parts to which the blades connect.

The new facility will allow Siemens to meet stronger demand for wind turbine production in North America. Construction is anticipated to begin before the end of the year, with building construction ending by the early summer of 2010. Overall production startup is planned by the fall of 2010. Approximately 400 jobs will be created.

Gray Construction Company was among four general construction bidders for the new manufacturing plant. The others were Ryan Companies, Paul Hemmer Companies, and The Austin Company.