Vestas partners with LM Wind Power for V150-4.2 MW blade production in Brazil

In the continuous journey to develop the wind energy supply chain and produce main components close to key markets, Vestas (Aarhus, Denmark) reports that it has further strengthened the flexibility of its global manufacturing footprint with a supply agreement with LM Wind Power (Kolding, Denmark), a leading manufacturer of wind blades. The multi-year agreement includes production of V150-4.2 megawatt (MW) turbine blades primarily for the Brazilian market with the flexibility to export if applicable.

LM Wind Power will supply the blades from its factory in Ipojuca, in the state of Pernambuco in Brazil. With production scheduled to commence in the second half of 2022, the new production will add local jobs, spur direct and in-direct investments in the Brazilian supply chain and expand Vestas’ global manufacturing setup.

“This partnership is a good example of how we develop and expand the wind energy supply chain to drive the needed scale of renewables by increasing the use of standardized components and shared manufacturing operations between OEMs, thereby adopting a similar approach to the automotive industry,” says Tommy Rahbek Nielsen, executive vice president and chief operating officer (COO) of Vestas. “We have chosen to work with LM Wind Power because of their proven and extensive design and engineering capabilities as well as their proven global footprint.”

With this partnership, Vestas continues to optimize its manufacturing setup by establishing close strategic partnerships to use suppliers’ knowledge and experience. Sharing manufacturing operations across the renewables industry, the company notes, ensure sites are not sitting idle and create a flexible and cost-effective supply chain that enables industrial scale to meet global net-zero ambitions.

“Now more than ever, collaboration throughout the value chain is crucial for the wind industry to sustain a healthy growth and deliver on what an electrified and net-zero world needs from us,” adds Dorte Kamper, vice president of sales and marketing, LM Wind Power. “In LM Wind Power, it is in our DNA to collaborate and to adapt our building blocks to be a strong partner for our customers. We look forward to leverage our engineering and manufacturing capabilities and deliver high-quality blades for Vestas.”

Vestas reports that it has surpassed 18 gigawatts (GW) of order intake globally for the V150-4.2 MW and V150-4.5 MW wind turbine variants, of which more than 6.5 GW has been secured in Brazil and 700 MW in other Latin American markets, making it Vestas’ most sold wind turbine variants of all time. The wind turbines are produced in Brazil under the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) FINAME rules, creating jobs and expanding Brazil’s wind energy industry and supporting the government’s initiative to promote renewables and a more sustainable energy mix.