Westar Energy has contracted with Siemens to supply, support the installation of and provide service for 122 wind turbines for the Western Plains Wind Farm project to be located near Spearville, Kansas, approximately 100 miles west of Hutchinson. Installation of the wind turbines is scheduled to begin in early summer 2016, with the start of operations expected by early 2017. The service and maintenance provided by Siemens will include the company’s advanced remote monitoring and diagnostics.
The wind turbine blades for this project will be manufactured at the Siemens blade facility in Fort Madison, Iowa while the nacelles will be assembled at its facility in Hutchinson, Kansas.
In the USA, Kansas is a national leader in wind power with wind generating enough electricity to power nearly one million homes. With over 5000 wind turbines installed in the USA to date Siemens has made a significant contribution to the total of wind energy in America.
The 280 MW Western Plains project will feature SWT-2.3-108 wind turbines, each with a power rating of 2.3 MW and with 53 m blades.
