Germany - Visit by Angela Merkel to Nordex in Rostock for talks on energy

During a visit to Nordex’s rotor blade production plant in Rostock, she will be conducting talks with representatives of companies active in the wind energy industry.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel commenced her “energy tour” in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania. During a visit to Nordex’s rotor blade production plant in Rostock, she will be conducting talks with representatives of companies active in the wind energy industry.

The background to this tour, which will be continuing over several days, is the energy policy, the main elements of which the German federal government plans to announce at the end of September.

“We greatly welcome the fact that the Chancellor wants to gain a first-hand impression of the progress being made in renewable energies,” says Thomas Richterich, CEO of Nordex SE, which supports the basic goals of the energy policy, namely to ensure reliable and climate-friendly supplies of energy at competitive prices.

Adds Richterich: “Wind power can make a crucial and, above all, balanced contribution to achieving these aims. What is more, our industry is a key factor in the regional economy in terms of both added value and employment.”

Thus, over the past few years, Nordex has created around 1,000 jobs in Rostock and has invested approximately EUR 100 million since 2008 in extending and modernizing its facilities there. The sector as a whole employs around 100,000 people (directly and indirectly) in Germany.

Among other things, the talks with Chancellor Merkel will be focusing on ways in which the German industry can maintain its top technological position in the international markets.

As Richterich explains: “More and more countries are establishing their own local industry. If it is to remain competitive at an international level, the German wind power industry must also heighten its innovativeness. As a good 90 percent of our business comes from exports these days, this issue is of crucial importance for the future of our industry.”

For more information please contact Trevor Sievert at ts@windfair.net