Acciona opens wind turbine blade factory

Acciona has opened a € 25 million factory in Lumbier in the Navarre region of Spain to manufacture blades for its own AW-1500 wind turbine. The facility is expected to be up to full capacity by September, with 148 employees manufacturing 450 34 m and 37,5 m blades per year.

The company said the new factory would enhance its presence throughout the wind power value chain. As well as manufacturing turbines, Acciona is one of Spain's leading alternative energy companies as well as being a major contractor in the construction of wind farms.

Some 90 people currently work at the factory, but this is expected to rise to the full 148 over the summer due to three wind farm contracts won by Acciona. These include the 306 MW facility in Oaxaca, Mexico, which will feature 204 AW-1500 turbines and 240 of their blades will come from the Lumbier plant.

The factory has been designed with the possibility of further extension in mind. This could see it manufacture 56,7 m blades for the 3 MW AW-3000 turbine, which Acciona currently has at the prototype stage. This unit would generate 3 MW of electricity, as opposed to the 1.5 MW of the AW-1500.