This will be LM Wind Power’s first factory in Brazil and it will be located in the port of Suape, near Recife in the State of Pernambuco. Adjacent to a world class port with a strong local workforce, the new blade manufacturing facility will be ideally located to serve major wind farms in the North East of Brazil and beyond.
The Brazil factory will be based on LM Wind Power's proven modular factory concept, recently used for construction of its factories in the USA, Poland, and China. It will employ up to 300 people, plus more in the local supply chain.
| A number of strategic customers have asked LM Wind Power, as the global market leader, to support their efforts in developing the market for wind energy in Brazil and throughout Latin America. We are pleased to make this announcement which confirms our commitment to our customers, so that they can use our technology and innovation to harness wind energy profitably and with maximum operational reliability. We are also very happy to be working with a professional and engaged partner in Eólice, which will handle the infrastructure side of the venture. |
| Leo Schot, CEO, LM Wind Power |
Blade production is expected to commence in September 2013, and agreements with customers have already been finalised. LM is also negotiating with a number of wind turbine manufacturers which have expressed a need for larger blades of between 40 m and 70 m in length for future wind power auctions.
LM, which is headquartered in Denmark, reports that the wind industry development in the northeast of Brazil is predicted to contribute to the generation of 1500 direct jobs with an overall investment of 100 million reais. LM Wind Power will join companies such as the Argentine turbine manufacturer IMPSA, tower manufacturer RM Wind and Iraeta, a company that produces flanges and which also has a factory under construction in the Pernambuco complex.
The wind energy market in Brazil
According to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC)’s Annual Market Update 2011, for the next five years, annual market growth will be driven primarily by India and Brazil, with significant contributions from new markets in Latin America, Africa and Asia. The Latin American market is dominated by Brazil, GWEC reports, which is now becoming established as a major international market with a strong manufacturing base, and will constitute the vast majority of the regional growth in the period to 2016. (See Wind power – emerging markets drive growth.)
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