It’s a wind win for Brighton

8/18/2008 - Brighton, Colorado

    Gov. Bill Ritter doubled the good news for Brighton’s and Colorado’s economy on Friday, announcing that 1,350 jobs – not 650 – will be generated by the presence of Vestas Americas in Brighton. 
    He told media representatives at a Capitol news conference that, in fact, in addition to the previously announced $180 million windmill blade-manufacturing company, a $50 million nacelle assembly factory will generate another 700 jobs. A news release from the governor’s office explained nacelles are the turbine housing units that sit atop the tower and contain key components such as the gearbox, generator and transformer. 
    Brighton’s plant will be Vestas’ largest nacelle-assembly factory in the world.
    A technology and production engineering office also will be located at the Brighton site.
    That site is a 112-acre parcel south of Weld County Road 6 and east of U.S. 85, sold to Denmark-based Vestas by the city of Brighton. An adjoining 66 acres owned by the Regional Transportation District also has been sold to Vestas. All will be annexed into Brighton.
    That RTD acreage originally was part of the land that was to be the site of the Union Pacific rail yard. RTD General Manager Cal Marsella admitted that in addition to planning and leadership, “plain dumb luck” weighed into the sale to Vestas. 
    Marsella was one of several officials who spoke Friday. 
    Brighton Mayor Jan Pawlowski called the deal “our Olympic Gold Medal,” and said it reinforces that Brighton is “a strategic and convenient place to do business ...” 
    Laura Brandt of the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp. explained that when the Union Pacific deal fell through, RTD was required to offer the land back to the original Fort Lupton-Brighton area property owners who sold it for the rail yards. 
    “Luckily for the project, no one wanted to land back” for the price they were paid plus fees incurred in the closing. 
    She said that made it possible to entertain Vestas’  unsolicited offer. 
    Larry Burkhardt, CEO of Upstate Colorado Economic Development, said he was “thrilled to be a part of the expanding renewable-energy efforts and I feel it propels Colorado to a greater leadership position.” 
    Ritter said yet another Vestas plant — the one that manufactures the towers that hold the blades and nacelles — will be built in Colorado. The site hasn’t been determined. 
    Ritter said that all told, the existing Vestas plant in Windsor, the two planned Brighton facilities and the tower plant represent a nearly $700 million capital investment and 2,450 jobs in Colorado. 
    Vestas officials, unable to attend
the conference on Friday, explained in their own news release that Brighton’s central location, easy access to rail and highways, access to a highly skilled workforce, a favorable business climate and strong commitment from state and local leaders to Colorado’s energy economy convinced them to locate in Brighton. 
    Its proximity to the Windsor plant also was mentioned. 
    Pawlowski said after the newsconference that the schedule to open the plant is on a fast track. 
    “We'll start to see things happen in September,” she said. “They want to be open by next fall.”
     Full production at the blade manufacturer is expected by spring 2010. The nacelle factory is expected to be fully operational by mid-2010. 
    At full capacity, that factory will produce 1,400 nacelles a year; the blade plant is expected to turn out 3,600 wind-turbine blades a year; and the tower plant is expected to manufacture 900 towers annually

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