Siemens celebrated the “topping out” ceremony for its new wind-turbine manufacturing facility in Cuxhaven, Germany. The structural steel uprights are now standing for the production building, which will offer 56,000 square meters of floor space. This new facility in northern Germany is one of Siemens‘ most important investment projects in recent years, with some EUR 200 million invested in what is the company’s first offshore wind-turbine production plant in Germany.
Siemens new blade facility in Germany will stand some 30-m tall and provide 56,000 square meters of floor space. Construction will continue into 2017.
The ceremony was attended by Parliamentary State Secretary Enak Ferlemann, Lower Saxony’s State Secretary of Economic Affairs Daniela Behrens, and the Mayor of Cuxhaven, Dr. Ulrich Getsch.
“In celebrating this topping ceremony, we mark another important milestone for our new, state-of-the-art production site for offshore wind turbines in Cuxhaven,” said Markus Tacke, CEO of Siemens’ Wind Power and Renewables Division. “The new manufacturing plant is part of our efforts to establish offshore wind power as a key pillar of a sustainable energy mix.”
Construction of the production building, which in places will stand 30 meters tall, is scheduled for completion by mid-2017. A two-story building enclosing some 3,800 square-meters of floor space is being erected next to the production building to house offices and the site cafeteria.
Tacke added: “We’re creating up to 1,000 attractive jobs here and thereby supporting sustainable structural change in the coastal region.” Siemens has already received almost 1,600 job applications so far. A number of suppliers who will serve the plant have also announced plans to establish local businesses.
Enak Ferlemann, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Germany’s Federal Ministry Transport and Digital Infrastructure, underscored the significance of the project for offshore wind power in Germany. “Siemens’ new production plant in Cuxhaven sets an important signal for further expanding offshore wind power in Germany. The power generated by offshore wind farms will contribute substantially to our future energy mix, while simultaneously helping us to achieve the climate goals of the Paris Agreement.”
This new manufacturing plant in Cuxhaven will begin producing nacelles for Siemens’ next-generation offshore wind turbines in mid-2017. The wind turbines are designed for installation at sea, each delivering an electrical generating capacity of between 6 and 8 MW.
“The city of Cuxhaven is extremely pleased that, with this topping off ceremony today, we’re able to celebrate yet another milestone achieved in establishing Siemens’ new production site,” said Dr. Ulrich Getsch, Mayor of Cuxhaven. “Siemens is creating attractive jobs here and further expanding the region’s know-how.”
There is a growing market for wind turbines designed for erection off shore. Offshore wind power plants are currently being built primarily in the North Sea and Baltic Sea off Europe’s northern coastline. However, wind power projects are being developed in other regions, as well, such as along the East Coast of the United States and in Asia off the coast of China and Taiwan.
Siemens’ new blade manufacturing plant in Hull, England is set to begin operation next week already.
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