Wind developer Iberdrola Renewables has requested the Oregon Department of Energy add 102 megawatts of turbines to its planned Helix Wind Power Facility north of Helix in Umatilla County.

Meteorological tests revealed better wind in the area than the developer anticipated, according to Iberdrola spokeswoman Jan Johnson. The developer has secured 13,207 additional acres of land near its proposed wind facility site. The expansion would increase the 100 megawatt project to 201 megawatts.

If approved by Oregon’s DOE, the site amendment would allow as many as to 134 wind turbines to be built on the 13,207-acre addition to the project site. In addition, Iberdrola could build 33 additional miles of collector lines and 31 additional miles of private access roads. The DOE is taking public comment on the amendment until Sept. 24.

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Helix Wind next year expects to submit an application to the Department of Energy for two separate loan guarantees totaling $10 million to aid their purchase of Newberg‘s Abundant Renewable Energy, according to Terrence Murray of .

Helix CEO Ian Gardner plans to use the guarantees to buy small turbine distributor Abundant Renewable Energy, as well as German wind power system company Venco Power.

The San Diego-based wind turbine company first announced its potential purchase of ARE in September. If the deal were to go through, Helix would move its research and development, engineering, and testing departments to a location between Newberg and Portland, and keep its corporate, finance and human resource departments in San Diego. The Newberg facility, which currently has nine employees, would remain in operation.

Deadlines to submit DOE loan-guarantee applications are Feb. 18, 2010, April 22 and June 24.

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Helix Wind next year expects to submit an application to the Department of Energy for two separate loan guarantees totaling $10 million to aid their purchase of Newberg‘s Abundant Renewable Energy, according to Terrence Murray of .

Helix CEO Ian Gardner plans to use the guarantees to buy small turbine distributor Abundant Renewable Energy, as well as German wind power system company Venco Power.

The San Diego-based wind turbine company first announced its potential purchase of ARE in September. If the deal were to go through, Helix would move its research and development, engineering, and testing departments to a location between Newberg and Portland, and keep its corporate, finance and human resource departments in San Diego. The Newberg facility, which currently has nine employees, would remain in operation.

Deadlines to submit DOE loan-guarantee applications are Feb. 18, 2010, April 22 and June 24.

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Helix Wind of San Diego wants to purchase a bankrupt wind turbine distributor in Newberg and move part of its California operations to Oregon. But before the company can do that, it has to come up with $5 million and have its buyout plan approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Oregon.

Abundant Renewable Energy of Newberg filed for bankruptcy on March 26. Its principals have been paying out of their own pockets to keep the business afloat, according to Helix CEO Ian Gardner. Now the companies have reached a definitive purchase agreement for Helix to buy all of ARE’s assets for a price between $4 million and $6.5 million.

“All focus so far has been on raising the capital,” said Greg Price, ARE’s manager of sales and marketing. “Helix has to raise between $5 million and $6 million. There’s always a chance it won’t work out, but we have confidence they will be able to raise the money.”

Helix has hired financial investment firm Dominick & Dominick of New York to pursue financing options for the purchase.

“It’s the right time in the marketplace for a deal like this,” Gardner said. “We have a good strategy. We can’t predict the future, but we are definitely hopeful.”

Helix has submitted its reorganization plan, which includes using $345,000 to pay off some of the debt incurred by ARE’s principals, to Oregon’s bankruptcy court. No hearing date has been set for the proposal, but Price expects a deal to be struck by Nov. 1.

If the deal were to go through, Helix would move its research and development, engineering, and testing departments to a location between Newberg and Portland, and keep its corporate, finance and human resource departments in San Diego. The Newberg facility, which currently has nine employees, would remain in operation.

“There’s access to a good pool of talented engineers in Oregon,” Gardner said. “It’s less crowded. Fresh water and other natural resources are more abundant. I think Oregon is more supportive of renewable energy, and psychologically, that will have an effect on our overall success there.”

Gardner said Helix would move some of its employees from San Diego to Oregon, as well as hire new staff locally, meaning more jobs for a state with an unemployment rate hovering around 11.7 percent.

Helix’s business focuses on the design, manufacturing and sale of small-scale wind turbines for homes and businesses, including a unique vertical-axis wind turbine shaped like a compact fluorescent light bulb. ARE manufactures and installs traditional horizontal-axis turbines, which would give Helix a new range of products should the sale go through.

“With the sale, we would definitely have greater market capital and resources,” Price said. “We’d be able to spend more time and more effort on product development, which is the core of what we do.”

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Newberg wind turbine company Abundant Renewable Energy could soon be purchased by Helix Wind of San Diego. The two wind companies are currently negotiating a sale price and other issues, and could come to an agreement as soon as November. If the sale were to go through, ARE would maintain its plant in Newberg, according to Greg Price, manager of sales and marketing for ARE.

“With the sale, we would definitely have greater market capital and resources,” Price said. “We’d be able to spend more time and more effort on product development, which is the core of what we do.”

Price said ARE is trying to convince Helix Wind to move to Portland as part of the agreement, rather than transfer ARE staff to California. That portion of the agreement is still under negotiation.

“Oregon has a lot of benefits that are above and beyond any other state,” said Price. “Helix wants to take advantage of those benefits.”

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