Grupo Soluciones en Energias Renovables, a Mexican wind-energy developer, will pay Siemens $270m for the SWT-101 turbines, rated at 2.3 megawatts (MW) each. The 160MW Los Vergeles project will be built in the northeastern Mexican state of Tamaulipas.

“The Latin American wind power market is expected to grow significantly in the years to come,” says Andreas Nauen, chief executive of Siemens’ wind division.

The deal marks the largest order of Siemens' new 2.3MW turbine, launched in March 2009. The new turbine -- which boasts a swept area of 8,000 square metres, equivalent to one and a half football fields -- is intended for use in low-wind areas. Siemens claims low-wind areas will soon account for one-third of global turbine sales.

In addition to the turbine order, Siemens also bagged its first operation and maintenance contract for a wind-energy project in the Americas.

Siemens, based in Berlin, continues to rapidly expand and diversify its global renewables business. During October the company announced a welter of turbine orders in North America totalling 565MW, and the purchase of Israeli solar-thermal firm Solel for $418m.

Siemens has also clinched major turbine orders for several offshore wind farms in recent months, including the London Array and Sheringham Shoal projects in the UK, and the Baltic 1 and Butendiek projects in Germany.

Earlier this year Siemens announced plans to build a €60m ($90m) nacelle and rotor-blade production facility near Shanghai slated to begin operation in 2010.