Iberdrola Renewables announced a 20-year contract to sell 100 MW from its Manzana Wind Power Project, a wind farm currently under construction near Rosamond, Calif., in the wind-rich Techachapi region, to San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), a repeat customer.
“Iberdrola Renewables is delighted to continue our relationship with SDG&E,” said Martin Mugica, executive vice president of Iberdrola Renewables. “This 100 MW power purchase agreement from our Manzana project now under construction in Kern County will strongly support SDG&E’s efforts in meeting California renewable portfolio standard (RPS) requirements.”
The project will provide up to 189 MW of energy, representing a reduction in green house gas emissions comparable to removing more than 21,500 cars off of California’s roads for one year.
Ninety of the GE turbine “nacelles” used for the Project — those Winnebago-sized components on top of the tower that house the generators, gearboxes, drive trains and brake assemblies — were manufactured less than an hour’s drive from the Manzana site at GE’s Tehachapi factory. The rest were manufactured in Florida. The turbine towers were delivered through the Port of San Diego.
About three-quarters of the turbines are already erected with construction of the operations and maintenance building and as well as substation, collector system and transmission construction underway. Manzana is expected to create approximately 290 construction jobs, and 12 Iberdrola Renewables permanent operations and maintenance staff with approximately another 8 to 9 contractors during the warranty period.
The Manzana project will support the local economy with property tax payments expected to be in the millions of dollars over the life of the project. The property taxes will support schools, public health, fire, library and other necessary services in Kern County.
Construction is being managed by Avon, Minn.-based Blattner Energy, with the majority of subcontracted work performed by California companies including:
- Conco Pumping, Fontana – Concrete pumping
- System 3 Inc., Carmichael – Tower wiring & grounding
- RMR Equipment Rental, Castaic – Water trucks
- CSI Contractors Inc., Bakersfield – O&M building
- Soils Engineering, Bakersfield – Survey services
- Earth Systems, Palmdale – Inspection & materials testing
- PAR Electrical Contractors, Fontana – Gen-tie line and 220kV substation construction
- Rosendin Electric Inc., San Jose – 34.5kV Collector systems
- Granite Construction, Lancaster – Road improvements
- MCM Construction, North Highlands – Aqueduct bridges
More than 70 percent of the nacelles for the project turbines are being manufactured at General Electric manufacturing facilities in Tehachapi. Other California parts, materials and equipment providers include:
- General Electric, Carson – Down tower assemblies
- Bragg Crane Service, Mojave – Off-site storage crane service
- Pacific Coast Steel, San Bernardino – Rebar fabrication
- Holliday Readymix, Mojave – Concrete supply
- Granite Construction, Lancaster – Aggregate supply
