HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) Wind power equipment maker Siemens Energy Inc. says it plans to lay off nearly half its Kansas workers.
Siemens announced Tuesday that about 146 employees at its wind turbine plant in Hutchinson are among 615 being laid off company-wide. The others are at plants in Iowa and Florida.
The Hutchinson plant opened in 2010.
Siemens said it’s restructuring its wind power business because of changing market conditions and uncertainty about a tax credit for new wind turbine installations. The credit expires at the end of this year.
The energy credit has split the all-Republican Kansas congressional delegation.
Sen. Jerry Moran blames the layoffs on the uncertainty coming from Washington. But U.S. Rep. Mike Pompeo of Kansas has joined a Republican push in Washington to end all energy tax credits.
