Siemens will rise up a manufacturing plant for nacelles for offshore wind turbines in Cuxhaven, Germany. On August 13 corresponding contracts should be signed. Production is expected to start in 2017.
Siemens is investing around € 200 million to build its first production facility for offshore wind turbine components in Germany. The factory in Cuxhaven, Germany is to manufacture nacelles for wind turbines. These wind turbines are designed for offshore use and have a capacity of 7 MW. The groundbreaking is scheduled to take place later this year, with production of the first components to begin in mid-2017.
"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 planned production facility will have a surface area of 170,000 m2 and will be located directly at the edge of Cuxhaven’s well-developed harbour, allowing heavy components to be loaded directly onto transportation vessels, thereby avoiding expensive ground transportation. The new factory will handle the final assembly of generators, hubs and nacelle back-ends, which are all connected to form complete nacelles, the core of offshore wind turbines.
In addition to the new facility in Cuxhaven, Siemens is also currently constructing a plant for rotor blades in Hull, UK, for 6 and 7 MW-class wind turbines. This plant is also scheduled to be fully operational in 2017.
Katharina Garus
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