Iowa Power fund awards $3 million to Acciona for new wind turbines

The Iowa Power Fund Board has awarded more than $3 million in grant funding to Acciona Windpower North America for a project to install two of the company's latest wind turbines in Iowa.

The financial assistance will help commercialize the company's AW-3000 wind turbine, the first 3 megawatt units to be installed in North America by Acciona Windpower. The company will build two turbines with one on a concrete tower and the other on a steel tower in Cedar County.

Acciona Windpower will leverage over $16 million in matching funds to bring the total project cost to more than $19.9 million.

Tower construction could begin as early as October, with project completion expected by spring 2012.

Following commercialization of the technology, Acciona Windpower will manufacture the AW-3000 wind turbine in Iowa to be sold in North America. The company plans to maximize its West Branch plant operations and employees for production.

Acciona Windpower said the new turbine technology will allow for higher towers to be built on site without costly transport. The increased tower height will allow wind turbines to be installed in non-traditional wind farm locations with less than an optimal wind path, yet still operate productively and efficiently.

Accionia Windpower is a division of Pamplona, Spain-based Acciona Energia. Acciona Windpower invested $23 million to acquire the former Sauer-Danfoss hydraulics plant in West Branch and expand it by 100,000 square feet to assemble wind turbines.