LM Glasfiber announced the construction of its third wind turbine blade facility in China in April this year. The facility in Qin Huang Dao, in the province of Heibei, had a planned capacity of three production lines, but as a result of customer growth and a positive outlook for the wind energy market in China, the company will now add another three lines.

This will double the production capacity of the plant and increase the total number of employees to approximately 640.

The first composite wind turbine blades from the facility will be produced in November. The additional lines are expected to be commissioned in the third quarter of 2010.

China is a strategically important market for LM Glasfiber, which is headquartered in Denmark.

"Since we opened our first production unit in China eight years ago, we have seen tremendous growth and expanded our local footprint several times already in Tianjin and Urumqi," says Ian Telford, VP Sales and Marketing. "Our decision to extend our latest unit even before we have started producing blades in the first workshop shows our firm commitment to and belief in the Chinese market.”

The capacity expansion at Qin Huang Dao is said to be based on a number of contracts signed with both Chinese and international wind turbine manufacturers which are expanding their business in the growing wind energy market in China.