Wisconsin, United States [RenewableEnergyWorld.com] enXco Service Corporation (eSC), an EDF Energies Nouvelles company, announced a three-year Operations and Maintenance Service (O&M) agreement with the Wisconsin Public Service Corporation (WPS), a subsidiary of Integrys Energy Group Inc., for the 99-megawatt (MW) Crane Creek Wind Project in Howard County, Iowa.
eSC will operate and provide all necessary maintenance for the 66 GE 1.5-MW turbines and balance of plant equipment, as well as supplying remote monitoring and fault resets from their operations control center located in Pipestone, Minnesota.
“We’re looking forward to working with enXco on our first large scale wind project,” said Doug Bishop, maintenance manager for WPS Wind. “Their extensive experience in wind farm operation and maintenance will help ensure that we are providing the best value for our customers while maintaining a positive relationship with the local community.”
The Crane Creek Wind Project, under development by enXco Development Corporation on behalf of WPS, is expected to begin the construction phase in 2009. The agreement brings the total number of turbines under enXco Service Corporation contract to 3,938, representing 2,255 MW.
This announcement comes after Frontier Pro Services released the results of an informal of wind farm operators survey, which found that up to 60% of currently operating wind turbines in the U.S. may be behind in maintenance.
