HUTCHINSON, Kan. – As Siemens begins the long journey into the introduction of its latest wind turbine to the 
Hutchinson nacelle facility, officials associated with wind farms gathered Wednesday in Hutchinson for an event at Siemens.
The executives from Siemens, Westar Energy, Apex Clean Energy and the Southern Company subsidiary Southern Power discussed the economic contributions wind energy makes to Kansas. The officials also signed a nacelle that will become part of the Kay Wind project in Oklahoma, in which the companies all have involvement. Siemens is fulfilling an order from Apex Clean Energy affiliate Kay Wind LLC for equipment, technical field assistance, commissioning and long-term service for 130 wind turbines for the 299-megawatt project, which is being built in Kay County, Okla. Installation of the wind turbines is scheduled to begin in June, and the farm should be operational later this year.
Siemens has started the planning process to begin production of the new G2-120 turbine. Siemens introduced the new turbine at the Wind Trade Expo in Orlando, Fla., earlier this month. The new nacelle will be assembled here in Hutchinson. According to Myca Welch, spokesperson for the Siemens plant, the new turbine is expected to go into production sometime in 2017. Until then, the plant is looking into how to best utilize the space available to run the assembly line.
Welch says the new nacelle will also look quite different than the current G2 turbine in that it will be square shaped rather than round, and it will be longer than the current G2-108. The new G2-120 is designed to perform in lighter winds and will carry a 120-foot rotor span.