Suzlon’s Minnesota plant shutdown continues

According to reports, the Suzlon company has sent out a strong signal that it doesn’t intend to reopen it’s Pipestone plant anytime soon.

he India-based company once had more than 500 employees in the southwest Minnesota community making blades for wind turbines. But since manufacturing ended more than a year ago, Suzlon has kept only a maintenance crew at the plant.

The Pipestone County Star reports that the company now says it intends to use the building only as a service facility.

The wind industry as a whole had a good year in 2011, and expects a lot of construction again this year.  But the outlook for 2013 is uncertain. If a key federal subsidy for the industry is not renewed, construction of new turbines next year is expected to fall sharply.