Siemens, Associated British Ports Pump $511M into Wind Turbine Factory; Michael Suess Comments

Siemens Plc and Associated British Ports have invested a total of $511 million into an offshore production factory for wind turbine rotor blades in Britain.

The sites will function as manufacturing facilities for 6-megawatt class rotor blades and a new logistics and service center for Green Port Hull, Siemens said Tuesday.

“Our decision to construct a production facility for offshore wind turbines in England is part of our global strategy: we invest in markets with reliable conditions that can ensure that factories can work to capacity,” said Michael Suess, member of the managing board of Siemens AG and CEO of the energy sector.

Suess added that wind power capacity in Britain has grown to approximately 10 gigawatts within two years, with room to double to 14 gigawatts by 2020.

The companies want the investment to help create 550 jobs in rotor blade production and 450 in Green Port Hull, which will begin operations in 2016.

Construction of the rotor production facility is slated for completion in 2016 and the factory is scheduled to reach full capacity by mid-2017.