Continuing its recent hot streak, the global wind turbine manufacturer announced on Wednesday that it has reeled in the its largest North American order to date – 190 V90-3.0 megawatt turbines slated for wind farms at the Alta Wind Energy Center near Tehachapi, California.

Reported by Ann Rascalli

For Colorado and its workforce, the news is especially important, as all the blades for the order are to be manufactured at the Vestas Windsor facility outside of Fort Collins, and most of the towers will be made at its Pueblo facility. The Brighton nacelles factory is the only one not participating because it produces housing units for 2-megawatt  turbines, and the new order call for units of 3-megawatts.

The four wind farms, called the Alta Projects II-V, will be capable of generating up to 570 megawatts of power when completed in 2011. Buying the Vestas machinery is New York City-basedTerra-Gen Power LLC, which announced on Wednesday that it had closed $1.2 billion in financing for the project.

The Alta contract includes delivery and commissioning, plus a five-year service and maintenance contract.

“The entire Vestas team looks forward to helping Terra-Gen bring this exceptional project to reality,” said Martha Wyrsch, president of Vestas Americas, in a statement.

Delivery is scheduled for late 2010, with the  first 50 turbines commissioned by the end of this year and theremaining units should be online in the first half of 2011.

This is the eighth deal announced for the North American market so far this year, and brings the total number of megawatts ordered to  1,336.

The news is a far cry from the January blues when the slow economy necessitated production lay-offs at Vestas facilities here in Colorado.