Danish wind energy company Vestas announced on Thursday (11 January) that it plans to open a new blade factory in Szczecin (northwestern Poland).
The factory would produce blades for Vestas’ flagship offshore wind turbine, the V236-15.0 MW. It is planned to start operations in 2026, creating more than 1,000 direct jobs.
Together with Vestas’ previously announced plans to establish an assembly factory for offshore nacelles in Szczecin, Vestas’ manufacturing footprint could increase with more than 1,700 direct jobs by 2026, the company said in a press release.
“Vestas intends to lead the development of a sustainable supply chain in Europe that can deliver the scale needed to meet the expected growth in demand for offshore wind. Our plans for two new offshore factories in Poland underline that Europe can spur wind industry investments and green jobs with the right long-term policy commitments for offshore wind projects,” said Tommy Rahbek Nielsen, COO of Vestas.
“Poland is transforming its energy system and is a promising wind energy market with good wind conditions both onshore and offshore. Poland has a highly skilled labour force and a growing wind industry that can become an offshore hub for the Baltic Region and the rest of Europe. We have been a market leader in Poland for more than 20 years, and I am honoured to announce our next investment plans in Szczecin,” said Nils de Baar, President of Vestas Northern & Central Europe.
The new offshore blade factory is planned to be located at a site in northern Szczecin, which Vestas acquired in February 2023. The site is close to the Ostrów Brdowski Island in Szczecin where Vestas’ planned nacelle assembly factory would be located. The assembly factory is expected to start operations in 2025 and create 700 direct jobs.
Vestas’ manufacturing footprint strategy is to prioritise markets where there’s long-term certainty around market conditions. Other locations where those conditions are met are also being considered for new capacity, the company highlighted in the press release.
