Release Date: 6/19/2009

PORTAGE, Ind. - Ninety-four giant wind turbine blades were unloaded on June 19-21 at the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor for one of the world's largest wind farms under construction in northwestern Indiana.

The components, brought from Europe on the ship BBC Rhine, will be used in Phase I of the Meadow Lake Wind Farm, a 26,000 acre "clean energy" project in White and Benton counties that at full build-out could have 600 turbines powering more than 250,000 homes. This shipment included 94 blades measuring 132-feet long by 10-feet high by 6-feet wide, as well as 30 power generators and 30 turbine hubs.

The BBC Rhine, chartered by Baltship out of Denmark, is being unloaded by port stevedore Federal Marine Terminals with dockworkers from the International Longshoremen's Assoc. Local 1969 and International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150.

The turbines were built by Denmark-based Vestas Wind Systems, the largest wind turbine manufacturer in the world, which has installed 38,000 turbines in over 60 countries since 1979. The Meadow Lake Wind Farm is owned by the Houston-based Horizon Wind Energy, which operates more than 15 wind farms across the country.

An earlier shipment of turbine components for the Meadow Lake Wind Farm arrived at the port on June 1. It contained 30 power generators and 30 turbine hubs, but no blades.

Media can contact Liz Folkerts for port access and more information about the shipment at (317) 531-3468 or lfolkerts@portsofindiana.com