Spanish wind turbine tower maker Windar renovables has confirmed its investment decision to build a new offshore tower factory in Poland.
The construction is expected to start in 2020. The new facility will be approximately 120,000 m2 and will include covered areas for welding, surface treatment, and assembly Works, as well as an open area for the storage of finished components. Total investment is worth 80 million euros and will create 450 direct jobs once the factory is fully operational.
The plant, which will have the capacity to manufacture 100 towers annually, has been designed specifically to accommodate the manufacturing of the new generation of offshore wind turbines (14-16 MW), and will enable serial production of sections of up to 450 tonnes, 10 meters in diameter and 50 meters in length.
Production is expected to start in early 2024 and the target market will be mainly Poland, as well as other countries in the Baltic and North Sea, where the demand will increase in the coming years.
Poland is an emerging market for offshore wind energy and the first 5.9 GW have recently been auctioned, with some of the largest developers in the wind sector being the successful bidders. The first wind farms are expected to start generating clean energy by 2025. Auctions for the second phase of projects, which is estimated at about 5GW, are planned to take place between 2025 and 2027.