A new wind-power blade manufacturing plant that will create an estimated 1,000 jobs is in the works, according to Dallas-based Tang Energy. The company is gearing up to supply blades for a $1.5 billion Texas wind farm that was unveiled last month by U.S. and Chinese investors. Today’s announcement is only the latest indication of the many positive effects on the U.S. economy of developing domestic energy sources.
U.S. Renewable Energy Group (led by Dallas investor Cappy McGarr), A-Power Energy Generation Systems Ltd. of Shenyang, China, and Cielo Wind Power LP of Austin plan to build a wind farm capable of generating more than 600 megawatts of electricity on 36,000 acres of land. According to the Dallas Morning News, the project calls for 240 Chinese-made turbines and 720 blades, each 157 feet long. Most of the wind farm would be financed by Chinese investors, but the developers say they’ll ask the U.S. government to cover 30 percent of the $1.5 billion cost.
“Until now, we have made blades only in China, sold blades there, and imported only profits,” Tang CEO Patrick Jenevein III told the newspaper. “Now we’ve got a start to actually deliver blades into Texas, so effectively we’ll need to build a factory in the U.S.”
Site selection is already under way.