GE Vernova’s Onshore Wind business has signed a new deal with Pattern Energy to supply 674 wind turbines that will provide more than 2.4 GW of power at the SunZia Wind project in New Mexico.
The project is expected to be the largest wind project in the Western Hemisphere at over 3.5 GW total project size and will bring GE Vernova’s installed base with Pattern Energy in North America to approximately 4.3 GW upon completion. The plant will harness renewable energy to meet the growing demand for power in the western U.S. while helping to maintain grid reliability. It will deliver clean energy to three million Americans in the region and is expected to be completed by 2026.
The order received in the fourth quarter of 2023 is the largest single onshore wind turbine order ever received by GE Vernova, both in terms of the number of turbines and gigawatts of power generation upon completion.
The 3.6-154 wind turbine is one of G.E.’s next-generation workhorse products. It’s specifically designed for the U.S. market and offers the highest efficiency currently available, all while being optimized for easy logistics and installation.
Built on the success of the 2.8-127, which has been the top-performing turbine for the past two years, the 3.6-154 has undergone three years of research and development to provide the latest innovations in turbine and blade design. One of these innovations is the digital blade certificate, which is powered by an AI-trained blade manufacturing process that produces industry-leading quality. Additionally, the 3.6-154 is the most tested and validated turbine in G.E.’s history, making it a reliable and robust option to support the U.S. energy transition.
For the past 18 months, GE Vernova and Pattern Energy have been working together on the SunZia project. The collaboration includes development and supply chain work to optimize site layouts and performance while minimizing unnecessary variants – following GE Vernova’s workhorse philosophy.
The project will benefit from GE Vernova’s nacelle facility in Pensacola, Florida, as well as tower manufacturing facilities in Belen, New Mexico, Pueblo, Colorado, and Amarillo, Texas. This demonstrates GE Vernova’s commitment to leveraging the Inflation Reduction Act to boost and improve American manufacturing.
GE Vernova announced in May of 2023 that it would invest $50 million and create 200 more union jobs by establishing a new manufacturing assembly line for its Onshore Wind business in Schenectady, New York and that that facility produced the first turbine in November of 2023.
In support of a wind turbine mega deal, GE Vernova provided Pattern Energy with both high-tech consulting services and financial services that contributed to the project’s launch.
The 3.6-154 turbine from GE Vernova brings together focused design, efficient supply, reduced complexity, improved reliability, and bankability to offer best-in-class products. GE Vernova’s Onshore Wind business has been providing onshore wind turbine installations in the U.S. for the last five years, according to the American Clean Power Association, and currently has a fleet of more than 55,000 wind turbines installed around the world.
“This project demonstrates GE Vernova’s ability to deliver on our workhorse strategy in Onshore Wind – producing fewer variants in large quantities at scale to drive quality and reliability across the fleet for our customers,” said Vic Abate, Chief Technology Officer, G.E. and CEO, GE Vernova’s Wind business. “We are proud to partner with our customer, Pattern Energy, on this historic project that will deliver the critical renewable energy required to meet the growing demand for power in the Western U.S.”
