Nordex to build its own production facilities in the United States

Hamburg/Houston May 30, 2008. Over the next few years, Nordex will be spending around USD 100 million to establish its own US production facilities for wind turbines and rotor blades. As early as 2009, the first locally produced 2.5 MW wind turbines will be entering the US market. “Four years ago, Europe constituted over 70 percent of the market. Looking forward, we expect Europe, Asia and the United States to each account for one third of demand. Over the next few years, we want to generate around 20 percent of our sales in North America,” says Thomas Richterich, CEO of Nordex AG, explaining the reasons for the decision to build US production facilities.

The investment program entails a sum of USD 100 million to be spent on establishing annual production capacity of 750 megawatts by 2012. This will initially entail the assembly of wind turbines. As of 2010, Nordex wants to invest two thirds of this sum in rotor blade production. Roughly 600 jobs will be created at the production site, the final location of which is to be selected in the near future. “We are looking for a centrally located facility, with everything pointing to a location in the Mid West,” says Ralf Sigrist, President of Nordex USA Inc. As early as in September 2008, Nordex will be moving into the offices at its headquarters in Chicago.

At the end of last year, Nordex received two major contracts from the United States for a capacity of around 220 megawatts. Scheduled for completion in 2008 and 2009, the 2.5 MW turbines are very largely being assembled in Germany for shipment to the United States.

Since June 2007, Nordex has been gaining experience in the US market with a 60 Hz version of its N90/2500 turbine, one of the most powerful models currently operating in the United States. The average output of the roughly 4,000 wind turbines assembled in the United States last year stands at roughly 1.7 MW. Nordex will be initially producing N90/2500 turbines for the American market, leveraging the experience which it has gained in producing over 650 systems of this type, with more than 350 currently under construction.

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