Nordex AG has started up its new rotor blade production facility in Dongying, China.
On a floor area measuring 8,400 square meters, roughly 225 rotor blades for the NR 37 and NR 34 series are to be produced in the first year of operation, sufficient to fit out 75 S77 and S70 (1,500 kW) wind turbines. Following the completion of the ramp-up phase and extensions to the production halls, output is to be increased to roughly 800 rotor blades (400 MW). The expected total capex budget stands at € 20 million. Nordex will initially be using the rotor blades from Dongying for covering demand in the Far East. In November 2006, the company opened a production facility for its S70/S77 turbines in the Chinese province of Ningxia. Looking ahead over the next few years, further production sites are to be established in China to satisfy the strong local demand. By the end of 2007, Nordex plans to have roughly 350 employees in China, including some 200 in Dongying.
