TPI Composites Inc., a supplier of wind turbine blades, plans to open a wind blade innovation center in Fall River, Mass., that will support the company's manufacturing facilities around the world.
The Fall River plant will serve as a center for development of advanced blade manufacturing technology and a launching pad for new wind blade products. The facility will also offer limited production capacity for land-based as well as offshore wind turbine blades.
The 69,000 square-foot Fall River development center will initially allow TPI to manufacture blades as long as 62 meters, with even larger blades possible with further expansion. Prototype blades produced at this location will be delivered by a barge to the wind technology testing center in Charlestown, Mass., for testing and optimization.
‘The efficient access to the water, proximity to an outstanding work force, and support received from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the city made Fall River the ideal place for TPI's expansion,’ says Steve Lockard, president and CEO of TPI. ‘The addition of this facility will position TPI well for the future as the demand for larger, higher-performance wind turbine blades continues to grow.’
To support this facility, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) has awarded TPI a $250,000 grant, contingent upon creating and maintaining 30 jobs. The facility is expected to open in early 2011 and will initially employ 30 to 50 associates.
The innovation center will operate as a sister facility to TPI's Warren, R.I., plant, located approximately 10 miles away, and will serve as a base for offshore wind blade deployment. TPI also operates wind blade manufacturing facilities in Newton, Iowa; Taicang, China; and Juarez, Mexico.
SOURCE: TPI Composites Inc.
