New wind turbine blade plant could be coming to Grand Island

Posted on | January 12, 2010 | No Comments

By ALGIS J. LAUKAITIS / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Friday, January 8, 2010 6:45 pm

Grand Island could gain more than 200 jobs if TPI Composites Inc. goes ahead with plans to build a plant that would produce wind turbine blades.

On Friday, TPI received $5.1 million in federal tax credits to build the Grand Island plant and $3.9 million in similar tax credits to expand its existing plant in Newton, Iowa, according to a news release from the White House.The Grand Island plant would create more than 200 new jobs and produce lighter and stronger wind turbine blades using composite materials such as glass, carbon, resin, foam and balsa wood.

TPI Composites has not picked a spot in Grand Island for the plant, Marlan Ferguson, president of the Grand Island Area Economic Development Corp., said Friday.

“We have no confirmation that the company is going to come to Grand Island,” he said. “It’s hopeful, I guess.”

U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson was more certain. He sent out a news release welcoming TPI’s decision to build in Nebraska and stating categorically its plans to do so.

“TPI says the facility will create over 200 new jobs and will have a capacity equivalent to supplying 265 turbines rated at 2.5 (megawatts) for a total electrical output of 663 (megawatts),” his statement said. “The stimulus bill is about creating jobs and today’s announcement that over 200 new jobs are coming to Nebraska is welcome news in these tough economic times.”

Ferguson said he believes TPI Composite officials were taken aback by the White House announcement and were not prepared to answer questions about their plans in Nebraska.

Greg Sexton, a spokesman for The Lavidge Co., the Arizona public relations firm representing TPI Composites, said the company is not ready to announce it is building in Grand Island.

“The tax credit award will help the company advance its plans to expand operations and create additional manufacturing jobs in the U.S.,” TPI said in a prepared statement. “The company looks forward to announcing specific project plans in the future.”

Sexton said he wasn’t sure if TPI was looking outside of Nebraska to locate a plant.

Richard Baier, director of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, acknowledged TPI Composites has looked at locations in Nebraska.

“Outside of that we had heard that they were applying for these credits,” Baier said. “But clearly, they are a long way from making any final decisions in terms of groundbreaking and construction.”

He said the department had some early interaction with TPI Composites.

“From our end, they obviously have been in our state and being the wind corridor, we’re attracting a lot of attention from wind energy manufacturers. … I’ve not see this application and have not talked to TPI about their decision,” Baier said.

Grand Island, like many cities, has been hit hard by the recession and could use the new jobs. Although the city gained some jobs last year, Ferguson estimated a net loss of 200.

The tax credits received by TPI are part of $2.3 billion in credits announced by President Barack Obama for clean energy manufacturing projects across the U.S.

Novozymes will get $28.4 million in tax credits to install equipment at a new manufacturing plant in Blair built to produce enzymes used in manufacturing cellulosic ethanol from corn stover, the leaves and stalks of the corn.

Novozymes’ plans for that plant had been announced, but construction has been delayed.

One hundred eighty three projects in 43 states will create tens of thousands of high-quality, clean-energy jobs, according to the White House.

While projects selected for the tax credits generally must be in service by 2014, about 30 percent of them will be finished this year.

Reach Algis J. Laukaitis at 473-7243 or alaukaitis@journalstar.com.

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