Vestas announces plans to build new plant

Vestas Wind Systems announced early Thursday morning its intent to build the world's largest wind turbine tower factory in Colorado.

The announcement came through its first-quarter financial report, posted on its Web site. The plant would create 400 jobs, but the company's press release did not state whether the plant would join its current facility in Windsor in the Great Western Industrial Park, or be at another Colorado location.

Windsor town manger Kelly Arnold declined to comment this morning.

Earlier this year, Vestas opened its first American blade manufacturing facility in Windsor.

That 350,000-square-foot plant will produce more than 500 40-meter wind turbines a year when it is fully operational, according to company officials.

This is the second expansion since Vestas first announced its intentions to build the blade-production plant in Weld County last year.

Originally, the company planned to employ 450 people at full capacity. But an expansion announced late in 2007 added an additional 250 jobs at minimum. The company expects to be at full production by spring 2009.

The report states the company decided to open the tower plant in Colorado despite an American policy on wind power that is a "highly short-term approach."