GE has formed a joint venture with Harbin Electric Machinery (HEC), a power equipment enterprise, to manufacture and supply wind turbines to its customers in China and compete in China’s $13bn wind industry segment.
The new joint venture company will combine HEC’s capabilities as a supplier of power generation technologies with GE’s capabilities as a wind turbine generator technology provider to capture the wind energy market of China, which is projected to grow from the 2009 level of 25gW to 150gW by 2020.
The new company, which will manufacture GE-designed wind turbines for near-shore and offshore applications in China, will be 49% owned by GE and 51% by HEC, including a 49% interest in the existing GE Shenyang Wind factory, which will continue to manufacture land-based wind turbines.
The new joint venture company will use direct drive technology to develop wind turbines for offshore projects in China in addition to providing customer and sales support, and commissioning and maintenance service to help customers maintain their fleet.
GE Energy China president and CEO Jack Wen said that this is an important investment in China for GE and one that will enable the company to participate in the tremendous growth potential of the Chinese wind turbine segment.
“By teaming up with Harbin, GE can deliver our advanced wind power solutions to our local customers in China to help meet the country’s need for cleaner energy,” Wen said.