Wind turbine components plant coming to Kansas

Siemens nacelle manufacturing plant breaks ground at Salt City Business Park, building nacelles and hubs for wind turbines to meet North America demand, creating 400 jobs, advancing renewable energy manufacturing and construction timelines.

Gray Construction Company was selected to provide general construction services for a $30 million to $50 million grassroot wind turbine components manufacturing plant for Siemens AG in Hutchinson, 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 as part of a Kansas turbine plant project to expand capacity. The building will include an 80,000-square-foot nacelle service facility, aligning with Siemens' planned wind operations center expansion in North America. 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, which is pursuing a top 3 position in the turbine market, 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, even as North Dakota woos turbine manufacturers with incentives. 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, a process mirrored by the Windsor turbine plant deal in other markets as well. The others were Ryan Companies, Paul Hemmer Companies, and The Austin Company.

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