Wind tower manufacturing put off

Construction of the plant has been delayed until spring 2012.

Cheyenne -- Construction on a wind tower manufacturing facility that was supposed to employ 150 in Laramie County has been delayed until at least next spring.

This throws up "caution flags," said Randy Bruns, CEO of Cheyenne LEADS, the economic development corporation for Cheyenne and Laramie County.

Bruns said any time there is a delay, it opens a project up for reconsideration.

The manufacturing facility, which was announced in February by Gestamp-Worthington, was supposed to be operational by early next year.

The original plan was for the facility to be under construction a few months ago in the Swan Ranch industrial park south of the city and west of Interstate 25, but Bruns said technical issues with the site delayed construction.

Moreover, Bruns said there are issues with the economy and the political climate in Washington that could be causing a slowdown in wind farm production.

The renewal of a federal tax credit for wind energy, which wind farms heavily rely on, is a matter of concern, Bruns said.

He said the companies investing in wind farms are uncertain about the future.

"That uncertainty really stifles business," Bruns said.

The wind tower facility is a joint venture between two companies: Gestamp Renewables of Madrid, Spain, and Worthington Industries Inc. of Columbus, Ohio.

Company officials could not be reached for comment.

They were planning to build the facility on a 30-acre parcel.

A press release that announced the venture in February stated that the company anticipated beginning shipments of wind towers in the first quarter of 2012.

Initial plans called for producing more than 300 towers a year.

Bruns said he cannot predict the economy or the future demand for wind turbines. However, he said Gestamp and Worthington are very well-capitalized companies.

Bruns said he is disappointed that the facility has been delayed, adding that, "We like to see as much activity as fast as possible."

Laramie County Commission Chairwoman Diane Humphrey agreed that it will be a letdown if the jobs from the plant don't come through.

"It's too bad for Laramie County," she said. "We need it. We need more to offer than hoping we'll have oil. This was such a positive thing."

The county also was poised to make about $400,000 by simply sponsoring industrial revenue bonds for the company to build the facility here, Laramie County Clerk Debbye Lathrop said.

The plan to sponsor those bonds has not taken shape, but Lathrop said the idea is still on the table.

When the county prepared its current fiscal year budget, which started July 1, that revenue was included. But Lathrop said if that money does not come through, the county will still be OK financially.

She noted that county departments estimate liberally in terms of how much revenue they will need for the year so they end up with a cash balance.

The county recently received $392,000 from Anadarko Petroleum for leasing mineral rights at the county-owned Archer Complex east of town.

While that money is being put into the general fund, it is not for the purpose of replacing the $400,000 that the county was hoping to receive from sponsoring the bonds, Lathrop said.

She said any time the county gets that kind of unrestricted money, it goes into the general fund.

It is unclear how the money from the oil rights will be used. But Humphrey said one idea is to use it to help staff the new juvenile detention center at the Archer Complex.

That facility is set to be operational in April, but it is unclear where the funds to pay for its staff will come from.