Reported by Staff

They may be humming “Happy Days are Here Again” at the Vestas plant in Northern Colorado now that the company has restarted production, following months of inactivity cuased primarilly because of the massive credit crunch that hit U.S. wind developers in 2009. A recent order from a Wisconsin wind farm development got things moving in Windsor once again, and that’s not the only good news.

Danish parent company Vestas Wind Systems A/S, announced the largest deal in its history, a “Master Supply Agreement” to build, deliver and maintain wind turbines capable of producing up to 1,500 megawatts of power in 2011 and 2012, with an option for an additional 600 megawatts of business.

The customer is the world’s third-largest wind power business, EDP Renováveis (EDPR), the renewable energy branch of EDP-Energías de Portugal, one of Europe’s main electricity utilities. The order calls for the wind turbines to be delivered to projects in Europe, North and South America.

According to a Vestas spokesman, it is too early to tell if fulfilling the mega order will involve its Colorado plants.

Dow Jones reports that EDP-Energías de Portugal CEO Antonio Mexia said that the utility has cut its planned investments in the U.S. by 10 percent for 2010 and 2011 — equivalent to about 500 megawatts of wind power — because of the difficulties encountered with landing long-term power supply agreements, as well as delays here in creating a national goal for using renewable power.

As we’ve noted in Colorado Energy News, Vestas has big plans for its manufacturing facilities in the state, including a Pueblo plant to make wind turbine towers, a Brighton plant focusing on nacelles assemblies, and a second blade facility. If each of these plants, along with the one in Windsor become fully operational, about 2,500 people in Colorado could be employed by Vestas.