OREANDA-NEWS. The US wind industry added a record 1,661MW of capacity in the second quarter.

The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) said the new capacity, the most of any second quarter to date, signals the possibility of a healthy year for the sector. More than 13,600MW is already under construction.

"With a near-record amount of wind capacity under construction, this looks to be a strong year for American wind power," AWEA chief executive Tom Kiernan said.

The new capacity came almost exclusively from Texas projects, which totaled 1,226MW in the second quarter, followed by Oklahoma with 150MW. Texas remains the dominant state in terms of wind capacity, with 15,600MW out of the national total of 68,870MW. California, the second-ranked state, has about 6,018MW in place. Iowa may overtake California as expected deployments this year could raise its total to 6,390MW, AWEA said.

Wind led all generation sources for new capacity additions in the quarter, including natural gas, which added about 870MW, according to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission data.

The wind industry heralded this week's 23-3 vote by the US Senate Finance Committee to extend the production tax credit for wind and other renewables through 2016. The extension would allow any wind project that begins construction by the end of 2016 to claim a 2.3?/kWh credit over 10 years.

"To create longer-term stability for the industry, the Senate and House of Representatives must move quickly to extend the production tax credit," Kiernan said.