Duluth port hits 1 million tons of wind turbines
DULUTH, Minn. (AP) - The Duluth Seaway Port Authority has passed a milestone: more than 1 million tons of wind turbine components have shipped through the port.
The first shipments came through in 2005. Since then, most components have come from European suppliers for wind farm projects in places like Montana, Missouri, Oklahoma, Wyoming and Ontario.
The port has also handled turbine blades manufactured in North Dakota bound for Spain, Brazil and Chile.
The Duluth News Tribune reports the peak year was 2007, when more than 305,000 freight tons passed through. The port has received more than 84,000 freight tons this year.
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The decline coincides with the growth of the domestic wind turbine manufacturing industry.
Executive director Adolph Ojard expects shipments to remain level as long as wind power is economically feasible.
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(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)