7/11/2017

Türkiye attracts one of the world’s top manufacturers of wind turbine blades

LM Wind Power, a leading manufacturer of wind turbine blades and a subsidiary of General Electric Renewable Energy, held an inauguration ceremony in Bergama Organized Industrial Zone, İzmir to mark their 14th blade manufacturing facility worldwide. The new plant, with an initial annual capacity of 500 MW, features a world class high-tech production line.

 

Commenting on the new plant, Ermut continued, “Within the scope of the year 2023 targets of our country, it is important to maximize domestic renewable energy production while achieving 20 GW of installed wind power capacity. In this context, such an investment that will produce wind turbine blades domestically is very important for us. The Government and the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources make great effort to ensure that domestic sources are used at the highest level to produce electricity. In particular, the steady policy in wind power investments over the past several years has resulted in the commissioning of an average 1 GW-capacity each year, bringing us now to 6.1 GW of installed wind capacity.”

 

Marc de Jong, CEO of LM Wind Power, said, "We are proud and excited to celebrate with GE and our partners in Bergama. We continue our growth into a new country and this is a very attractive location for operations like ours. We have invested signifcant time and resources in Bergama and look forward to growing in the wind industry with several partners and customers going forward."

 

Jérôme Pécresse, CEO of GE Renewable Energy, added, "GE already operates eight facilities with more than 2,000 employees in Türkiye - a highly promising market for renewable energy and wind in particular. 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 6 GW 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 working with local talent.

 

ISPAT President Arda Ermut, a keynote speaker at the ceremony, said, “Since ISPAT supports all projects of GE in Türkiye, today we are taking justified pride in accomplishing such an important and high-tech investment for our country. I believe that this investment will not only contribute to Türkiye’s renewable energy capacity, but also give a new impulse to Türkiye’s National Energy Policy.”

 

Marking the beginning of a new hub for green industry, LM Wind Power Bergama Plant will employ 450 people to reach an annual capacity of 500 MW and then later expand to 2 GW. Production in the new plant is now getting underway.      

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