TPI and Vestas partner to open new China-based facility

TPI Composites, Inc., (TPI, Scottsdale, AZ, US), the largest US-based independent manufacturer of composite wind blades, announced March 19 that it has signed a multiyear supply agreement with Vestas Wind Systems A/S (Aarhus, Denmark) to provide blades from four manufacturing lines (with option to add more lines) for the new V150-4.2 MW wind turbine for global markets.

The blades will be produced at a new facility in Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China, which is scheduled to open for production in the first half of 2019. TPI’s new manufacturing hub will be designed to be state-of-the-art and able to reliably and cost effectively serve China and global wind markets via land and by water from the port of Yangzhou. The manufacturing complex, located on a 20-hectare site, will initially be 80,000 m² with the ability to expand and serve multiple customers. In addition to blades, the manufacturing complex will also be capable of producing precision molding and assembly system in a new tooling manufacturing facility.  

“We are pleased Vestas has chosen TPI as its outsourcing partner for its next generation wind turbine and we are excited to announce a significant expansion in China with a new world-class manufacturing operation for wind blades and wind blade tooling,” says Steve Lockard, president and CEO of TPI Composites.  

“With this agreement, TPI Composites will produce blades for Vestas’ market-leading V150-4.2 MW turbine, which uses Vestas’ longest and most advanced blades, highlighting our ability to continuously build and sustain supply chain flexibility that is critical in today’s global wind energy market,” says Jean-Marc Lechêne, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Vestas.