Wind turbine components manufacturer Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) officially inaugurated its new rotor blade factory in Tangier, Morocco, earlier this month, at an event chaired by Moroccan Minister of Industry, Investment, Trade and Digital Economy, Moulay Hafid El Alamy, and Siemens Gamesa CEO Markus Tacke.

The plant will service Africa and the Middle East and, according to the statement released on October 11, “is ready to offer wind turbine blades ‘100% made in Morocco’”

Moreover, the plant will manufacture B63-10 blades with a length of 63 m for export to Europe, Africa and the Middle East, as well as for local projects. “The plant is ready to produce other blade models in the future, which could reach up to 75 m. These integral blades are based on licensed technologies and made of composite materials,” stated the company.

The 37 500 m2 factory, which started production in April this year, is strategically located in the industrial zone of Tanger Automotive City, about 35 km from Tanger-Med port and ideally positioned between Europe and Africa.

Tacke explained the solid business rationale for this project at the official inauguration of the facility. “This factory is good for our company and a solid business decision. We invest where we see strong business opportunities, and the opportunities here in Morocco are stronger than ever before. “This location in Tangier provides us with direct access to some of the most important markets of tomorrow – here in Morocco, throughout the Middle East, in Europe, and in the Mediterranean region.”

In the context of the Accelerated Industrialization Plan launched in April 2014 by the Moroccan Ministry of Industry, Investment, Trade and Digital Economy, the blade plant will create 600 jobs, as well as an estimated 500 auxiliary jobs.

El Alamy underlined the importance of this project: “This pioneer project allows localising value and announces the development of a . . . renewable energy industry, which reinforces the strategic choices of Morocco, under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, aimed at the development of a green economy.”

A training centre of 3 500 m2 was created to facilitate the knowledge transfer from Denmark to Tangier. The learning process ensures the complete transfer of the technical and process skill sets necessary to optimise the manufacturing process.

The new blade factory plays an important role in contributing to Morocco’s national programme to achieve production of electricity from clean energy to up to 52% by 2030, of which 20% is generated by wind. The 850 MW project that will be built by the consortium Siemens Gamesa, Nareva and ENEL represents a major milestone in this goal.

With 72% market share in Morocco, Siemens Gamesa delivered key wind energy projects including Tarfaya (300 MW), Tangier (140 MW), Essaouira (60 MW) and Haouma (50 MW).

Siemens Gamesa is the market leader in Africa with over 15 years of existence and 2.1 GW installed capacity, in countries like Morocco, as well as in Algeria, Egypt, South Africa, Tunisia, Mauritania, Kenya and Mauritius.