Officials with a Florida based company broke ground on a new facility in Story City, Iowa this morning. Steve Spengel is spokesperson for NextEra Energy, which already runs a wind farm with 100 turbines in nearby Colo and has plans for another in Hardin County.
He says the Story City operation will be used for making repairs to wind turbine gear boxes. The repair shop, located along Interstate 35, could be in business by the end of this year. "We anticipate hiring 20 to 25 people for the facility," Spengel said. "It will be a 90,000 square-foot facility."
Workers at the plant will make repairs to NextEra’s turbines located around the Midwest. It will be the first turbine repair facility in the state. "There are a number of wind farms throughout (Iowa) and now we’re starting to see other associated businesses with wind turbines coming into the state as well," Spengel said. "That’s great news for Iowa."
Governor Chet Culver attended this morning’s ground breaking. Around 75 people will be working on the construction of the building.