Siemens Energy can 'fight way back' into key US onshore wind market: CEO Bruch
Christian Bruch also says no offshore turbine factory to be built in America until European plants are fully ramped up
Siemens Gamesa plans to restart development of a 4MW wind turbine dedicated to the US market after problems with its 4.X and 5.X platforms have been fixed and the ramp-up of offshore wind factories has been completed, the CEO of parent company Siemens Energy said.
“We intend to go back into the market with a redesigned turbine together with customers,” Christian Bruch told journalists at an event last week in the Ruhr Area, where the company has a factory.
“Our priority is to [fix the] 4.X in Europe, then the 5.X in Europe and then we do the US.
“I would love to return as soon as possible with a new turbine. But in the end, I have to accept that certain things have a priority now and that other things will take time; I don't want to rush into things.”
“It is absolutely possible to fight your way back into a market – also when it comes to onshore wind in the US,” the CEO said.
“But even if this will not come fast, we are confident that with the structure of the US market, there is an appetite to find other suppliers. This is also what my discussions with US customers tell me.”
The company will continue to invest in innovation, Bruch added, but said the pace of launching new turbine models needs to be slower in the industry, a position also taken by competitors such as Vestas.
“We need to stop this two-year rat race mechanism. We will invest in the next turbine generation, but launching it will take more time than people have experienced before.”
No US offshore factory for now
In regards to offshore wind, the Siemens Energy CEO said the wind turbine unit won’t build any new factory unless the existing ones are ramped up and running at full capacity.
“We already have two factories for onshore wind [in the US], and for offshore we are still in the process of ramping up the production and output in Europe. This is our priority right now.”
Siemens Gamesa in 2021 had said it plans to build a $200m offshore wind blade factory in the US state of Virginia to cater to a growing pipeline of preferred turbine orders in the US.
Trump effect?
“The re-industrialisation of the US has started, and it is not going to be stopped.
“The US is and will continue to be an absolutely core market for us. That’s also why we're going to get back there in onshore wind, and at this point in time a governmental change would not lead me to a different decision-making.”
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