Suzlon Wind Energy Corp., the North American subsidiary of Suzlon Energy Limited (SEL) announced the arrival September 28 of its first S97 turbines to be installed in North America.
Fifteen S97-2.1 megawatt turbines to power the 31.5 MW Amherst Wind Farm Project, Suzlon’s first S9X project in North America, left the Port of Halifax in Nova Scotia September 28 for installation.
To underscore government support for clean energy in the province, Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter joined executives from Suzlon and Sprott Power for a blade-signing ceremony the day before. Forty-five wind turbine blades measuring 47.5 meters (about 150 ft.) each, along with gearboxes and generators, are being transported to the Amherst Wind Farm Project in Amherst, Nova Scotia, a $61 million site that began construction in May and is slated for completion in Q1 2012.
The S97 turbines used at Amherst will be installed on 90-meter hub height towers and, at full capacity, will generate enough electricity to power more than 10,000 homes. The project is owned by SP Amherst Wind Power L.P., a partnership between subsidiaries of Sprott Power Corp. and Firelight Infrastructure Partners L.P.
Suzlon’s S9X product suite, launched in April, is built around a core doubly-fed induction generator-based (DFIG) technology. Blade designs with rotor diameters of 95 and 97 meters are engineered to offer a larger swept area with greater energy capture and power production from moderate to low wind speeds.
Suzlon Energy Limited counts itself the world’s fifth largest wind turbine manufacturer.