GE’s recent acquisition LM Wind Power has commenced production at a new wind turbine blade factory built with an investment of $50m in Turkey.
An annual capacity of 500MW of turbines are expected to be manufactured at the factory located in Bergama Organized Industrial Zone (BOSBI) in Bergama. GE aims to raise the capacity of the factory to 1.5GW in the future.
According to GE, the Bergama factory will cover the requirements of the rapidly growing wind industry in Turkey. GE said that in the last seven years, new wind installations have continued to grow on an annual basis and sustained growth is predicted with a 20GW target by 2023.
GE Renewable Energy CEO Jérôme Pécresse said: “With LM Wind Power, GE Renewable Energy is integrating blade design and production into our wind turbine business giving us a strong position in the fastest growing segment of power generation.
“Last year, the Turkish wind sector reached a cornerstone by having more than 6GW wind power installed. GE is committed to investing long term in the communities where we operate and this facility is an important milestone in our commitment to work with local talent."
The Bergama plant is the first new blade manufacturing location of LM Wind Power after it became a part of GE Renewable Energy earlier in the year.
Expected to employ about 450 skilled technical jobs for the region, the plant has roles associated with manufacturing operations, technical engineering, ancillary support, services and administration. Currently, the wind turbine blade factory has recruited 287 people.
Acquired by GE for $1.65bn, LM Wind Power designs and manufactures rotor blades for wind turbines with factories in the US, Brazil, Denmark, India, Poland, France, Canada, China and Spain apart from the new one in Turkey.
Image: LM Wind Power’s new wind turbine blade factory in Bergama, Turkey. Photo: courtesy of LM Wind Power.