Turbine maker Nordex has announced plans to invest up to EUR 50 million through 2016 to strengthen its rotor blade capabilities.
This investment will initially involve the expansion of the company's own plant in Rostock, Germany, where Nordex plans to concentrate on producing ‘the most modern and largest rotor blades.’ Over the next few years, the company says these will be the NR58.5 and NR65.5 blades for the N131/3000, N117/3000 and N117/2400 turbines.
Nordex explains that the greater dimensions of the products and tools (molds) necessitate modifications to the plant's existing production halls. In addition, an entirely new hall for rotor blade finishing will be built. Nordex says the resultant physical separation of basic production and finishing removes the need for complex production steps in cabins and facilitates quality assurance.
At the same time, the company says it remains committed to covering only 20% to 30% of its requirements internally, as about 80% of all turbines it installs go online in countries outside Germany. Therefore, the other half of the planned funds will be channeled into a long-term "built to print" strategy with international partners to harness the cost advantages of their international production facilities.
