Energy Composites Corporation, a manufacturer of products for the alternative energy industries, will invest $15 million for an expansion that includes the construction of a wind turbine factory near its headquarters in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Rapids Tribune reports that the company plans to create at least 400 new jobs with the expansion. The company tells the Tribune that the 350,000-square-foot factory will produce 1,500 turbines per year, with each turbine measuring 15 meters long and weighing between 13 and 14 tons. "We are currently working with our local community college, Mid-State Technical College, to establish a training program now specializing in blade fabrication techniques, as well as basic composites fabrication," says Energy Composites CEO Sam Fairchild, quoted in the Milwaukee Business Journal; Fairchild says he hopes the factory will be producing blades before the end of 2010. The Tribune says that the company is negotiating with local government agencies for incentives and is also seeking federal funding options.
