The impact pile driving of around 1,800 concrete piles at Siemens’ EUR 200 million offshore wind turbine manufacturing facility in Cuxhaven, Germany, has started earlier this month.
After successfully completing the dynamic soil compaction, the contractors have started driving the 30-meter-long, regionally manufactured piles into the ground. These will support the weight of the factory once it is built.
The new production facility will be located directly at the edge of the harbor and will have a surface area of 170,000 square meters – the size of roughly 24 soccer fields.
By mid-2017 the production of nacelles for the next-generation wind turbines D7 is to begin, Siemens said in a statement. This includes the final assembly of generators, hubs, and nacelle back-ends which are all connected to form complete nacelles. The location at the port allows heavy components to be loaded directly onto transportation vessels, thereby avoiding expensive ground transportation.
“The decision to build a new production facility in Cuxhaven represents a clear commitment to Germany as a business location,” said Joe Kaeser, President and CEO of Siemens AG.
“The new Siemens factory will employ up to 1,000 skilled employees. The expansion of offshore wind power capacity in Germany and Europe represents an enormous opportunity for northern Germany and Siemens.”