Denmark-headquartered LM Glasfiber has signed an agreement with Chinese wind turbine manufacturer Envision under which it will supply a minimum 2000 MW for Envision's wind turbines, starting with its 1.5 MW turbine.
As a result of this deal, LM will establish its fourth blade manufacturing facility in China, in Jiangyin, close to Shanghai. Work on the site has started based on LM Glasfiber's modular factory design, enabling easy ramp-up and capacity expansion. Once in operation, the factory will provide work for approximatey 225 people. Production is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2010.
This agreement also marks one of LM Glasfiber's first large-scale contracts based on the new rotor blade concept called GloBlade®. LM claims the the LM 42.1 GloBlade®1's aerodynamic design allows for an additional annual energy production increase of 4-5% over 40.3 blades.
"We are looking forward to our close cooperation with Envision, which is a very professional and ambitious Chinese player," says Ian Telford, VP Sales and Marketing of LM Glasfiber. "With this agreement we further strengthen our foothold in China and secure our continued growth in this strategically important market."
Regarding the GloBlades® rotor design, he comments: "This innovative concept, with highly efficient blades that set new standards for cost of energy from wind, will not only increase our market share in China but expand the potential wind market into lower wind areas across the world."
LM Glasfiber established manufacturing in China in 2001 with the opening of its first factory in Tianjin. The second facility was opened in Urumqi in 2007, followed by the third in Qin Huang Dao in 2009.
Envision Energy is a manufacturer of wind turbines based in China and backed by a European investment firm. Envision has a Global Innovation Center in Silkeborg, Denmark, and an R&D Center in China. Its manufacturing base is located in Jiangyin, Jiangsu Province, China.
