In another cost cutting move, the crown jewel of former Governor Ritter’s New Energy Economy
is consolidating its R&D facilities to Brighton, Colorado.

Wind turbine manufacturer Vestas has confirmed the closing of its research and development facilities in Houston; Louisville, Colo.; and Marlborough, Mass., and transferring those locations’ employees to its Brighton, Colo., office, according to Vestas spokesperson Andrew Longeteig.

The Brighton blade manufacturing facility will now serve as an R&D hub, which will  enable the company to be closer to its manufacturing operations in Colorado. The Louisville and Houston locations will close by the end of this year, and the Massachusetts location will close by the end of next June, Longeteig said.

Less than two months ago, Colorado Energy News reported about the latest round of layoffs at the company’s Pueblo, Colo., manufacturing facility. In January, Vestas said a major restructuring effort was under way as part of a plan to regain financial strength. The Denmark-based company said earlier this year that Washington’s failure to extend the Production Tax Credit, which expires at the end of 2012, could mean more layoffs for the once thriving wind turbine manufacturer’s U.S. business.

In Colorado last week, advocates and supporters held a rally yesterday in Boulder, Colo., to push for an extension of the federal wind energy Production Tax Credit (PTC). The event was hosted by Juwi Wind LLC, a locally based subsidiary of Juwi Group, an international wind farm developer.