Mortenson Construction, a leading North American renewable energy contractor, was recently selected by San Diego-based developer enXco—an EDF Energies Nouvelles Company—for the construction of the Pacific Wind Project. Located on the south slope of the Tehachapi Mountains in Kern County California, the 8,500-acre project will generate 140 megawatts of wind power, which is enough energy to power approximately 39,000 homes.
Mortenson is responsible for the design and construction of access roads, foundations, erection, overhead and underground electrical collection system, and a 14,400 square-foot O&M facility that will support the Pacific Wind Project as well as other enXco projects slated for development in the area. Construction began in December, 2011, and is expected to be completed in August, 2012.
The Pacific Wind Project is the 19th wind power facility that Mortenson has constructed in partnership with enXco. Together the partnership has provided nearly 2GW of energy throughout the United States. In early October Mortenson completed construction of enXco’s 205.5 megawatt Lakefield Wind Project in southern Minnesota. In Minnesota alone the enXco/Mortenson partnership has developed and constructed approximately 36 percent of the state’s wind energy capacity.
“Our long-established relationship with enXco represents a cohesive partnership that reinforces our commitment to renewable energy though out the United States,” says Tim Maag, a vice president and general manager of Mortenson’s Renewable Energy Groups.
Since entering the renewable energy market in 1995 Mortenson Construction has become a leading builder of wind power facilities in North America, constructing more than 100 wind projects generating more than 11,000MW of renewable power across the United States and Canada. With 100 percent of Mortenson’s business in the power sector coming from renewable energy, Engineering News-Record ranked Mortenson the 11th largest power contractor in the U.S. for 2010. Go online to www.mortenson.com/wind.
