If there is one thing to know about the wind, it is that it is constant. And for the city of Pueblo, that is not good news, but great news. Pueblo is on the verge of becoming a world class player in the manufacture of one of America’s cleanest sources of energy: the wind.
The city has just signed an agreement with CS Wind, a South Korean company, to expand its wind tower production facility and, in the process, add 850 jobs. The plant, which will occupy a facility of more than 1.5 million square feet just south of the city, already employs 650 workers making it one of the largest employers in southern Colorado.
At the official groundbreaking ceremony, held last week in Pueblo, were the former Prime Minister of South Korea, Chung Sye Kyun and Colorado Governor Jared Polis.
Pueblo Mayor Nick Gradisar called the announcement “fantastic.” Gradisar said that the agreement with the city and the South Korean manufacturing giant signals “a long-term commitment to Pueblo.” It also buoys the city’s employment base. Pueblo has for years recorded the highest unemployment rate for large cities in Colorado. The latest Bureau of Labor Statistics has Colorado unemployment at 3.2 percent while Pueblo logs in at 4.6 percent
The Pueblo operation for CS Wind will manufacture only towers and not blades. Blades for the towers, however, will still have a Colorado connection. Both Windsor and Brighton are locations for blade manufacturing. Vestas, which sold its Pueblo operation to CS Wind, will continue making the giant blades.
One thing that makes Pueblo a key location for the CS Wind facility is its proximity to rail transport as well as its central location to the rest of the country.
Pueblo’s name in the wind energy industry will only grow as the country and world add to the overall energy portfolio. Currently, wind energy provides more than a fifth of total electricity in 11 U.S. states. Iowa and South Dakota get more than half of their energy from wind. The U.S. now gets approximately a tenth of all of its overall energy from wind.
Colorado’s four largest wind farms are located near the towns of Peetz, Grover, Limon and on the Colorado-Wyoming border in Weld County. The state is also geographically located in the path of a strong and steady west-to-east wind pattern. Limon is the nation’s 12th largest wind farm in the United States.
Perhaps, most importantly, the growing wind energy industry will reduce the nation’s carbon footprint along with its dependence on fossil fuels. Colorado currently is on pace for achieving its 2030 goal of producing 80 percent of its total energy consumption from renewable sources.
The expansion of Pueblo’s wind tower facility, said Jeff Shaw, CEO of the Pueblo Economic Development Corporation, signals opportunity for the city. “When you have something like this,” he said, “it shows that Pueblo is a community that believes in manufacturing.” Shaw, a Pueblo native, said manufacturing has been a constant in the city’s past and, with this announcement, will be a vital part of its future. Shaw also said that the CS Wind commitment may serve as a lure for other manufacturing operations that may be considering relocation.
While the announcement portends a strong economic boost to Pueblo and Colorado, said Gradisar, there will still be a lapse before things become fully operational. The permitting process, including the permits for the painting that is part of the towers, must still be complete. He said the state is assisting to accelerate the timeline.
The plant workforce, at least at this point, will not include a union. Starting pay for new hires will be $20 per hour. But, said Gradisar, “This is a starting wage,” for an unskilled worker.” Craft people, those who can paint or weld, said the mayor, can earn considerably more.
Pueblo has been a city that has endured strong eco- nomic headwinds over the last several decades. The iconic Colorado Fuel and Iron Corporation once employed more than 10,000 workers and the Pueblo Army Depot also providing a strong economic plank with several thousand in its workforce. Both have downsized to shells of their former selves.
But Pueblo has also been a city that has reinvented itself and inched its way back into a growth trajectory. The expansion of its wind operation, say city officials, proves the adage that complaining about head winds does no good. Instead, city leaders say, the city has adapted and readjusted its sails to chart its future.
