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Provento claims to be the first German wind station developer and operator to set up operations in the US. It has founded a subsidiary, Provento America Corp in Cape Charles, Virginia. The company sees the American market as the most important world-wide "due to good wind conditions and comparatively low overall power station capacity." The company's first project is to be a DEM 15 million, six turbine station using Nordex 1.3 MW machines in the eastern shore region of the Atlantic coast. Provento America headquarters are at the nearby Sustainable Technology Industrial Park. Wind speeds there are about 7.3 m/s, so the station should generate about 20 million kWh a year, or enough to supply the needs of 5000 households, the company says. Negotiations are underway for more wind stations in Virginia and Kansas, it adds. The state of Virginia supports Provento's efforts. Visiting the German town of Koblenz, where Provento is based, governor Jim Gilmore said: "The potential benefits that this company has to offer are tremendous." Provento will, "Create jobs in the medium term and improve the economy of the region." Gilmore also predicts that a "massive expansion in the use of wind energy" will make a contribution to the energy needs of the US. Provento has subsidiaries in Spain and Italy and will shortly found a branch in Poland. The company was founded in 1998 and has since installed 86 wind turbines (75.5 MW) in Germany to date.