DMI will close the Tulsa plant in November and lay off 167 employees in Tulsa. Another DMI plant in West Fargo, N.D., has 217 employees and will close in October, according to a statement from the company.
“The wind industry’s present economics, substantially driven by the absence of a Production Tax Credit renewal by the U.S. Congress, the lack of a predictable national energy policy and low natural gas prices, has contributed to a dramatic decline in the demand for wind towers,” said a release from the company.
The PTC keeps the patient on life support. This is an acknowledgement that wind energy, absent constant governmental support, is non-competitive.