The LM Wind Power plant, a subsidiary of General Electric Renewable Energy, which started operating last year in İzmir's Bergama district, exported its first wind turbine blades to Australia in a short period of six months. With this export from its Bergama factory, LM Wind Power achieved a critical milestone in terms of Turkey's export targets.
Produced in Turkey and exported to Australia, a total of 99 blades, each with a length of over 63.7 meters, will be commissioned in 3.43-megwatt (MW) wind turbines at the 113.2-MW Bodangora Power Plant developed by GE and Infigen Energy in southeastern Australia. Equipped with LM Wind Power blades, the GE turbines were built to capture the energy of intense winds in New South Wales."The production and exports of these blades is a significant milestone for the growth of the renewable energy sector in Turkey," Dr. Manar Al Moneef, general manager of GE's Onshore Wind Business in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey, said. "Being able to achieve such success in such a short period of time is a testament to the commitment of our business partners and local staff. This achievement also reveals a strong understanding with regard to the gradual importance attached to renewable energy in Turkey."The Bergama factory, which became operational in July 2017 with more than 370 employees, aims to meet the needs of the rapidly growing Turkish wind industry and provide rotor blades for wind turbines outside of Turkey. Turkey, in which new wind turbines have become operational every year since 2010, is expected to achieve sustainable growth with the objective of 20 gigawatts (GW) until 2023.
The exports made from LM Wind Power's Bergama factories to Australia play a critical role in the diversification of export markets in Turkey. Having reached $538 million in exports to Australia in 2017, Turkey will move this figure further up with the contribution of exports to be realized in LM Wind Power's Bergama plant this year.
The Bergama plant is the company's first new blade production facility since LM Wind Power joined GE Renewable Energy group at the beginning of last year. The facility, which serves as a key indicator of the commitment of $50 million given to Turkey, will create qualified jobs to 450 people specialized in various fields ranging from technical engineering to services, management, manufacturing operations and additional support. The factory will help meet the requirements of the rapidly growing wind industry in Turkey.
GE Renewable Energy is a newly established business worth $10 billion, and to date has an installed capacity of more than 400 GW worldwide operating in more than 55 countries.
LM Wind Power also has factories in Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, India, Poland, Spain and the U.S., where the company manufactures rotor blades for wind turbines.