NNSA switches on 11.5-MW Pantex wind farm

Jun 19, 2014 - The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) said yesterday it had put on stream the 11.5-MW Pantex wind farm in Texas.

The facility is situated near the agency's Pantex nuclear weapons plant close to Amarillo.

The Pantex wind park was constructed by Siemens Government Technologies Inc, a US unit of German engineering group Siemens (ETR:SIE), which also provided equipment for the plant. The five-turbine facility is expected to produce about 47 million kWh of electricity a year, enough to power about 3,500 homes and offset over 35,000 carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per year. Its output will also cover over 60% of the Pantex plant's annual power needs and save NNSA some USD 2.8 million (EUR 2.1m) from power costs annually, the agency estimates.

The wind farm will be operated by Siemens, which will also provide service, maintenance and warranty services for the facility for a five-year term as wells as an annual energy production guarantee. Last month, NNSA’s Production Office and the Texas Tech University (TTU) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to look into the possibility to set up a wind energy research centre near the 11.5-MW wind farm.

(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.734)

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