FPL Energy Plans October Construction For The Hancock Windfarm

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Incorporated; Houston, Texas). FPL Energy LLC (FPLE), a subsidiary of FPL Group, Incorporated (NYSE:FPL) (Juno Beach, Florida), is preparing to begin construction of the 98 megawatt (MW) Hancock Windfarm near Garner, Iowa.

The Hancock Windfarm will consist of 148 Vestas wind turbine/generator sets, each rated at 660 kilowatts (KW). Construction kick off is scheduled for early October and D. H. Blattner & Sons Incorporated (Avon, Minnesota) has been selected as the general contractor for the project. Project completion and commercial operation is planned for mid 2003. This will be FPL's second windfarm in Iowa.

FPL is currently the largest generator of wind power in the United States. Recently the company placed an order with Vestas for one hundred seventy five 660KW wind turbines scheduled for delivery this year. FPL has a wind generation portfolio exceeding 1,533MW from over twenty wind farms in nine states. In 2001, FPL generated nearly one third of the total wind energy in the nation.

D.H. Blattner & Sons, Inc. is a heavy civil and mining contractor providing services throughout North America. Founded in 1907 by D.H. (Henry) Blattner, today D.H. Blattner & Sons, Inc. has entered its fourth generation of management. Services provided by the company include earth moving, concrete structures, environmental, drilling & blasting, demolition & salvage, mining, crushing, and material handling.