Wind power giant Siemens has announced it will invest €200 million (AUD 296 million) to build a new manufacturing plant at Cuxhaven Harbour, Germany to service its booming offshore wind turbine business.
The factory represents the company’s biggest commitment in Germany for years and is set to generate an employment bonanza in the seaport town, creating up to 1,000 new jobs.
The new plant will build nacelles for Siemens’ next-generation offshore wind turbines. A nacelle houses all the power generation components of a wind turbine; including the generator, gearbox, drive train and brake assembly.
With a deep-water harbour, Cuxhaven provides direct access for the huge transport vessels required to deliver wind turbine components to offshore sites in Northern Europe. Construction of the 170,000 square-metre factory is scheduled to begin later this year, with production of the first turbine parts slated to begin in mid-2017.
A decline in the cost of producing offshore wind power and surging growth of the sector in Germany and Europe persuaded Siemens to build a brand new facility on home soil with local workers.
“The decision to build a new production facility in Cuxhaven represents a clear commitment to Germany as a business location,” said Joe Kaeser, President and CEO of Siemens AG. “The new Siemens factory will employ up to 1,000 skilled employees. The expansion of offshore wind power capacity in Germany and Europe represents an enormous opportunity for northern Germany and Siemens.”
The company is also spreading the wealth into England’s wind power economy, with construction underway in the Yorkshire city of Hull of a factory to produce rotor blades for its six-and-seven megawatt class of offshore turbines.
Siemens has become a global leader in offshore wind power, selling over 3,100 turbines and installing more than 1,470 offshore turbines (4.7 GW in capacity) at sites around the world.
“We’re looking forward to building at this factory the most efficient and reliable ‘Made in Germany’ wind turbines,” said Markus Tacke, CEO of the Wind Power and Renewables Division.
“We invest where we see opportunities for growth – and Germany and Northern Europe are dynamic growth markets for us. The new factory will also make an important contribution toward helping us reach our goal of making wind power competitive.”
