Senator Mark Udall of Colorado praised the one year extension of the wind production tax credit. He said that it was vital for the state’s wind power industry. He added that extending the wind production tax credit is long overdue. Companies in the wind power industry hire more than 5,000 Coloradans and 60,000 workers across the nation.
The extension to the wind energy tax credit was passed late Tuesday night. It covers all wind projects that start construction in 2013. Companies that make wind turbines and install them wanted that definition in the bill to allow them time to develop a new wind farm.
Vestas Wind Systems is a wind turbine manufacturer that has four factories in Colorado. Its president and chief executive Ditlev Engel commended President Barack Obama and Congress for agreeing to extend the PTC, which confirms the bipartisan commitment to a clean energy portfolio.
The timing of the extension might result to lesser wind energy installations in 2013 compared to the previous years because it would take time to place an order and project a completion date. But the extension would make the US market stronger this year.
A spokesman for North America Vestas said that there were doubts that the PTC would be extended. But during that time, the company maintained a flexible workforce and able to scale production to meet orders with deliveries to its factories in the US. In its four Colorado factories, Vestas employs 1,100 workers
The American Wind Energy Association also praised the extension of the PTC. The association said that thousands of workers in the wind energy sector are celebrating the extension that is expected to save around 37,000 jobs and create more new openings.
