German-based wind-turbine maker Nordex AG announced plans to spend around $100 million to establish its own US production facilities for wind turbines and rotor blades.
As early as 2009, the company’s first American-produced 2.5 megawatts (MW) wind turbines will be entering the US market, the company said.
"Four years ago, Europe constituted over 70% of the market. Looking forward, we expect Europe, Asia and the United States to each account for one third of demand. Over the next few years, we want to generate around 20% of our sales in North America," says Thomas Richterich, CEO of Nordex, explaining the reasons for the decision to build US production facilities.
$100 million will be spent to establish an annual production capacity of 750 MW by 2012, initially to assemble wind turbines. As of 2010, Nordex wants to invest two thirds of that in rotor blade production. Roughly 600 wind jobs will be created at the production site, the final location of which is to be selected in the near future.
"We are looking for a centrally located facility, with everything pointing to a location in the Midwest," says Ralf Sigrist, President of Nordex USA Inc.
At the end of last year, Nordex received two major contracts from the United States for a capacity of around 220 MW. Scheduled for completion in 2008 and 2009, the 2.5 MW turbines are primarily being assembled in Germany for shipment to the United States.
About Nordex
Nordex has installed a total of around 3,300 turbines with an aggregate capacity of more than 4,000 MW (May 2008) all around the world. With exports accounting for over 90% of its business, Nordex AG plays a key role in international high-growth regions. The company has offices and subsidiaries in 18 countries around the world. The group currently has around 1,850 employees around the world.
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