Siemens celebrates 1,000th Ontario-built wind turbine blade

OAKVILLE, Ont.—Siemens Canada Ltd. is celebrating the production of the 1,000th wind turbine blade at its 253,000-sq.ft. plant in Tillsonburg, Ont.

The facility in Tillsonburg, located southeast of London, Ont., has been manufacturing 49- and 55-metre wind turbine blades since 2010.

“We are very proud and excited to be celebrating the completion of our 1000th blade,” Siemens Canada’s Wind Power Renewables division head, Jacob Andersen, said in a statement.

“In 2014, Siemens reached a 10-gigawatt installation milestone in the Americas, which reaffirms our commitment to renewable energy, the competitiveness of wind power and continuous innovation.”

In addition to manufacturing, Siemens has also established its first Canadian wind turbine Service and Maintenance Distribution Centre in Chatham-Kent, Ont., “in order to enhance its proximity to customer wind farms.”

The 12,000-sq.ft. warehouse stores commonly used wind turbine parts and serves as a training centre to develop and advance the technical and safety skills of the firm’s wind technicians.

The Canadian wind energy market is growing at a rapid rate and is now the ninth largest in the world, with a current installed capacity of approximately 9,700 megawatts, according to Siemens.

“Ontario has become an international leader for integrating renewable resources into our electricity grid,” Ontario Energy Minister Bob Chiarelli said in the statement issued by Siemens.

“Congratulations to Siemens Canada for (its) commitment and contribution to building Ontario’s clean energy economy.”