Nordex Group launches blade manufacturing in Turkey

Nordex Group started production of wind turbine blades in Menemen in western Turkey, counting on growing demand for high-efficiency onshore turbines in the country. The facility has an annual capacity of 1,200 units.

Fueled by demand from wind power projects benefiting from Turkey’s state support mechanism Renewable Energy Zones  – REZ or YEKA, Nordex Group built a 13-hectare complex in the Izmir Free Trade Zone in Menemen. The facility’s 1,200 employees, which of course include administration positions, can churn out just as many rotor blades per year. The capacity in Turkey

The site features a building that spans nine hectares. It will manufacture the company’s latest types, including the N163 and N175 models, the update reads. They are designed for medium to strong wind conditions.

Export plans for Europe

Nordex Group’s plant is initially focusing on supplying blades for projects awarded under the said tenders, including YEKA-4 and YEKA-5. At the same time, the facility is strategically positioned to supply international markets, with plans to export blades to support European wind energy projects, it said.

The company is headquartered in Rostock, Germany, while the management’s seat is in Hamburg. To be eligible for the auction scheme, developers in Turkey must ensure that components have high domestic content rates. The combination has facilitated a manufacturing boom.

Market share in Turkey going to as high as 60%

Nordex Group’s new factory supports its long-term growth strategy in the country, Chief Executive Officer José Luis Blanco said.

Investing in local production capacity enhances the company’s ability to fulfill further all local content requirements in accordance with the YEKA specifications, he explained. Nordex Group entered the country in 2009. It has a 34% share and it estimates it at a whopping 60% in wind power plants currently under construction.

It has commissioned more than 64 GW of wind power capacity in over 40 markets since 1985. The consolidated sales amounted to EUR 7.6 billion last year.

Nordex Group has more than 11,100 employees in a manufacturing network that includes Germany, Spain, Brazil, India and the United States. The product portfolio is focused on onshore turbines in the classes of 4 MW to 7 MW and above for market requirements of countries with limited available space and regions with constrained grid capacity.

Nordex SE is listed on the MDAX and TecDAX of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

The company is active in the rest of Southeastern Europe as well. It supplied the turbines for the recently completed Gvozd wind park in Montenegro.