Siemens Expands Manufacturing Capacity For Wind Turbines In Denmark

The move comes in response to the continuing high demand for wind turbines worldwide, the company said. The company has acquired a former LM Glasfiber factory at Engesvang in Denmark for manufacturing rotor blades. Siemens is investing heavily in the assembly plant in Brande, Denmark, and in the rotor blade manufacturing facility in Aalborg, Denmark, to obtain a further increase in capacity. The total investment volume amounts to more than EUR50 million.

The Siemens Power Generation Group, or PG, is experiencing sharp growth in the wind energy sector, according to the company. Compared to the previous year, in 2005, Siemens PG nearly doubled its wind turbine sales, with turbines of nearly 630 megawatts of output leaving the factory. Fabrication capacity for 2006 is almost fully booked for the Brande assembly plant and for the rotor blade manufacturing facility in Aalborg. In response to this, series production of rotor blades for wind turbines is scheduled to begin in Engesvang in early 2006.

"Expansion of our capacities in Denmark is the first step in building a worldwide manufacturing network," said Andreas Nauen, head of the Wind Power division at Siemens Power Generation. "We have high expectations from the new factory, which will allow us to provide a faster and more flexible response to market requirements. A further aim is to access the glass fiber manufacturing know-how and expertise available at this location," Nauen added.

The blade factory will use the IntegralBlade technology patented by Siemens. With this technology, the blades are cast in one piece in a single step from glass-fiber-reinforced epoxy resin in a closed, environmentally compatible process. Since the Siemens acquisition of Bonus Energy A/S in December 2004, more than 700 new employees have been hired in Denmark. Siemens Wind Power currently employs approximately 1800 people worldwide.