RENEW Energy has recently undertaken a new project in Enid, Oklahoma – the construction of a 44,000 square feet remanufacturing center, designed to perform gearbox and main shaft repairs for wind towers.
This is just one of RENEW’s latest innovations in the world of wind energy as it continues to lead the way for wind and solar power maintenance.
Enid, Oklahoma, has long served RENEW as a hotbed of wind and solar energy innovations, which made the construction of this new facility a no-brainer when it came to the ‘Where’ of it all.
“We’re in the heart of the U.S. as far as wind energy goes,” said Greg Haub, the Project Manager for the new facility. “We’ll be putting up a building that’s 44,000 square feet of space and it’s a fully climate-controlled building. The total building capacity, as far as cranes go, is 200 tons. It’s a 200 ton-capacity building, which is actually pretty rare. We can lift 200 tons at one time, 100 tons at each bay. Currently, there are no facilities in the United States that can do what this facility will be able to do.”
Additionally, the facility will feature a 7-megawatt test stand for gearboxes.
“TP&L already had the complex in Enid,” said Gary Cavigielli, the Vice President of Remanufacturing and R&D for RENEW Energy. “We are installing a seven-megawatt test stand, which would be the largest in the United States to continue being a leader within the industry with all of the larger platforms that are going to become available to us. It’s all about being able to take care of our customers.”
The building will also have its own office space, consisting of about 4,800 square feet as well, making it a fully-functional and operational remanufacturing facility.
Haub was hired in April of 2022 to oversee this project. RENEW broke ground with a golden shovel ceremony in October of that same year and real construction began in January of 2023.
“We’ve got three quarters of the building pad (the area upon which future buildings or structures are constructed) complete and another fourth to go,” Haub offered. “Probably within the next couple of weeks we’ll finish the slabs and start setting steel in the next week.”
Haub said that the goal is to have the facility operational by the beginning of the fourth quarter of this year.
RENEW is partnering with Henson Construction for this project, which will employ up to 40 people or more.
“One thing about RENEW is that they’re very good about working with the local companies and trying to grow the local community and local economy with their business concepts,” Haub shared. “It’s of great importance to all of us that we have local people involved in the project.”
This aspect is so important to RENEW that they are partnering with the Autry Technical Center, a tech school located in Enid, to actually begin developing a training program for future employees.
“They already have an electromechanical course, and we’re hoping to expand on that and make it somewhat specific to the wind industry; with gear boxes and main shaft work,” said Mike Feltman, the Director of Engineering and R&D for RENEW. “We’ll use that as a stepping stone for employees to learn the basics and then come into the company on a full-time basis.”
The project will offer multiple jobs and it will serve as an all-in-one facility to rebuild the two main components of wind turbines.
“The purpose of this facility is to act as a one-stop shop to remanufacture wind turbines,” Haub said. “Being able to offer this to customers, to be able to handle the maintenance when breakdowns happen, from anywhere in the United States, in one central location is huge. You’ve got to have a company that is able to support wind turbines and offer service, and that’s what RENEW is doing. It’s a full-service, one-stop shop for wind turbines.” To find out more about the new Remanufacturing Facility in Enid, Oklahoma, or to learn more about all of the other services that RENEW Energy offers, visit the RENEW website or check out the TAKKION Facebook page.
