Airtricity in $330m wind turbine deal

The US subsidiary of renewable energy firm Airtricity has signed a deal with GE Energy to purchase wind turbines worth $330 million (€233.4 million) to support its expansion in Texas.

Airtricity is purchasing 250mw (megawatts) of GE's turbines - each with a capacity of 1.5mw - which will be delivered in 2009 and installed on a 40,000-acre site in the San Angelo area of Texas. Airtricity has previously purchased 500mw of turbines valued at $600 million from GE, which will be installed next year.

"We are changing the landscape of west Texas literally and figuratively," said Declan Flanagan, Airtricity's North American chief executive.

Texas has the largest installed base of wind turbines in the US and Mr Flanagan described the area as the "Saudi Arabia of wind". Airtricity is leasing land from local farmers for its projects and pays them a royalty for electricity it sells from the developments. The firm, which is 51 per cent-owned by NTR, is also developing projects in upstate New York and Canada.

Airtricity currently employs 100 people in the US. It has three completed or near commission projects which are generating 124mw. Mr Flanagan said that by the end of 2009, its US energy producing capacity will be 1,600mw, comparable to twice the capacity of the Moneypoint electricity generating plant, and it will have invested over $3 billion.

The announcement came yesterday in Washington during an Enterprise Ireland trade visit to the US east coast, led by Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Micheál Martin. Deals worth $55 million between Irish and US firms are set to be announced during the visit.

Mr Martin said the "relationship between Ireland and US was a two-way street in the modern era" and that recent Enterprise Ireland research found 80,000 US citizens were now employed by Irish firms in the US.

Limerick-based Advanced Innovations also announced yesterday it has been awarded the contract to implement and manage the $29 million TekVet project for tracking and monitoring cattle in large US feed lots.

The TekVet system consists of a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag and a thermometer in the animals' ears to allow remote monitoring of their location and health. Core body temperature is considered the best indication of an animal's health.

Simon O'Keefe, Advanced Innovations' vice-president for marketing and strategy, said the value of shipments using the system during the second quarter was over $1 million but declined to say what the Irish firm's cut was.

Wicklow telecommunications software firm Phoneware has won a $500,000 contract to supply the US Department of Homeland Security, through its partner Nortel Government Solutions.