NEWTON, IA-TPI Composites has arranged for a 316,000-sf build-to-suit facility here to build 150-blades for wind turbine electrical generators. Opus Northwest LLC will build the facility for about $20 million, and lease the facility back to TPI.
The industrial facility is the latest addition to Iowa's growing wind turbine manufacturing industry. The state and Jasper County provided about $4 million of incentives to draw the company to build here, says Jeff Smith, director of construction for Opus Northwest. "The state has made it an initiative to target companies that are involved in the renewable energy industry," Smith tells GlobeSt.com.
The Warren, RI-based manufacturer will employ about 500 people at this new facility, and will work to build the 20,000-pound turbine blades. The blades' large design required special building design ideas, Smith says, that include column-free manufacturing bays, heavily-reinforced concrete pavement to handle the equipment and independent formation support.
Opus has signed a lease for 10 years, says Smith, though he could not provide the lease rate. The site is about 25 miles east of Des Moines, IA.
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