A-Power Energy Generation Systems Ltd., a leading provider of distributed power generation (DG) systems in China and a fast-growing manufacturer of wind turbines, announced November 17 that the company has been designated to supply wind turbines to a China-U.S. joint-venture project (JV Project) to develop a 600-megawatt wind farm in West Texas.
At a joint press conference held at the National Press Club of Washington, D.C., it was announced that Shenyang Power Group (SPG), the U.S. Renewable Energy Group (US-REG) and Cielo Wind Power LP signed a joint-venture framework agreement (JV Agreement) setting forth plans for developing the 600MW wind farm. The terms of the JV Agreement include the JV Project's plans to sign a definitive purchase agreement with A-Power related to the purchase of up to 240 units of 2.5MW wind turbines. The JV Agreement includes a delivery schedule starting in March 2010, subject to SPG securing third-party financing, among other conditions. A-Power currently has an annual production capacity for 1.1 gigagwatts of wind turbines at its 320,000-square-foot facilities in Shenyang. A-Power is a shareholder of SPG.
The JV Project, which when established will be 49 percent owned by SPG, with the rest of the equity ownership held by US-REG and Cielo Wind jointly, is expected to be one of the largest wind farms in the United States. Upon completion, it is anticipated to generate enough electricity for 180,000 homes in America. The JV Project is expected to cost in total approximately $1.5 billion, a portion of which is designated for wind turbine purchases, and its establishment is subject to, among other things, further due diligence by the parties, the securing of financing from commercial banks in China, and other project development conditions.
"A-Power welcomes the opportunity of participating in this high-profile wind power project in the United States," said Jinxiang Lu, chairman and CEO of A-Power and CEO of SPG. "As both a supplier to the JV Project and an equity-owner of SPG, A-Power will be able to export its wind turbines for the first time and reduce its exposure to the intrinsic risks associated with such a large-scale project. We like the tremendous opportunities in the United States, which is the world's largest wind power country. We are cognizant of the recent policy push by the Obama Administration in the renewable energy sector, and a stabilizing financing environment for renewable energy projects. And we are attracted to the track record of Cielo Wind, the largest privately held wind power project development company in the Southwest United States, with a 16 percent market share for wind power installation in Texas. In this JV Project, and the sales we expect to make to the joint venture, all of A-Power's previous investments – in production scale, in foreign technology licenses, and in alliance with other power plant service companies – are expected to come to fruition, and we look forward to entering into a sales agreement with the JV Project and moving ahead with the production schedule as set forth in today's JV Agreement."