Wind on the water: Duluth port benefits from wind power

The rapidly growing wind industry has been a boon to the Duluth Seaway Port. Fiscal year 2007 was the most profitable ever, according to the Duluth News Tribune, and the demand for turbines and parts is largely credited.

While shipments of turbines from Germany, Denmark and Spain are the norm, exports from North Dakota manufacturers are on the rise. Most large-scale turbines are made in Europe, where the industry has enjoyed greater demand and government support, but an increasing number of Midwest factories are have begun producing turbines and parts. Minnesota lags behind Iowa and North Dakota in wind-related manufacturing, as previously reported by Minnesota Monitor, but that hasn’t prevented its largest port from reaping the benefits.

Energy mandates like Minnesota’s 25 by 2025 all but ensure that the port will be handling wind-related cargo for a few more years.