Bosch Rexroth has expanded its capacity for producing large wind-turbine gearboxes with a new facility in Nuremberg, Germany. The plant, which covers a surface area as large as five football fields, will manufacture about 300 large gearboxes in 2009 and is slated for the latest generation of multi-megawatt turbines.
About $246 million (180 million euros) will be invested in the new plant by 2013. The company also produces large wind-turbine gearboxes in Witten, Germany and Beijing, China, and intends to expand its U.S. presence for this industry in the near future.
“The long term forecasts continue to predict global growth for the wind-power market,” said Reiner Leipold-Büttner, member of the executive board, responsible for engineering and manufacturing at parent company Bosch Rexroth AG.
The Global Wind Energy Council forecasts that installed wind-power output will nearly triple by 2013. In 2008, the U.S. installed the most new wind-power output, surpassing Germany as lead country for wind-power use. Encouraged by comprehensive economic incentives, Leipold-Büttner said he expects the U.S. market will continue rapid growth. A brochure from Bosch Rexroth, Drive & Control Technology for Wind Turbines, highlights its industrial hydraulics technology developed for the wind-energy market.