South Korean leading wind tower manufacturer CS Wind is set to start its second production facility in Turkey's western city of Izmir on Friday.
Gim Seong-gon, the CEO and chairperson of CS Wind, told Anadolu Agency (AA) in an exclusive interview on Thursday that Izmir and its surrounding region offer a strategic hub for the company’s production.
The company has invested around $60 million (TL 923.6 million) in both facilities in Izmir. The company also has a capacity expansion plan that comprises an investment plan for a third factory and a plan for offshore tower production.
The second factory offers 250 new jobs for the people of Izmir, in addition to an existing tower production facility operational since 2018 in the Aliağa Organized Industrial Zone (ALOSBI).
As the main supplier to global wind power companies, CS Wind operates manufacturing sites in Canada, the United Kingdom, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Turkey.
"We, as the world's number one tower manufacturer, take the necessary action to increase our production network in response to the rapidly increasing global demand. The opening of the second factory and investment plan for the third factory in Turkey are some examples," Gim Seong-gon told AA.
According to Gim, the importance of wind power as the main driving force for renewable energy is rising, particularly in the wake of the energy crisis in Europe from the Russian-Ukraine war.
He noted that European countries have increased their installation targets and brought forward the commissioning dates to minimize their dependency on foreign energy.
International agreements that aim to reduce the carbon footprint are also contributing to the "very bright" future for wind energy, he added.
Expanding on the company's current facility in Izmir, Gim said the factory has gone from a production rate of about two tower sections per week in 2018 to the current production capacity of 20 sections per week.
Its employment rate has also expanded from 83 in 2018 to 450 catering to more production exports, the majority of which are destined for almost all European countries, along with Israel, North Africa and the United States.
Gim considers Turkey as one of the biggest wind potential regions among European countries, as seen by the rise in wind energy equipment manufacturers in the Izmir region.
"Considering the strategic location, we hope to see more sub-component manufacturers in Turkey, especially in Izmir, but there is a risk with the fluctuation in foreign currency, which is making it difficult for future planning," he stressed.