Zotos approved for wind project

Zotos International Inc. won approval for a pair of wind turbines at its production facility in Geneva, N.Y., which the American Wind Energy Association says would be the largest wind installation built to power a U.S. manufacturing plant.

Darien-based Zotos sells shampoos and hair styling products, and is a subsidiary of Japan cosmetics giant Shiseido Co. Ltd. The company has some 670 full- and part-time employees at the Geneva plant, where it has invested $30 million the past few years.

Funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is expected to cover 30 percent of the costs for the $7 million project. The turbines are expected to generate 3.3 megawatts of power for the 670,000-square-foot factory. Zotos is aiming to furnish all the plant”™s electricity with power from renewable sources by the end of next year.