Turkish Atescelik to pour USD 21m in wind turbine towers production

(ADPnews) - Oct 25, 2010 - Turkish industrial equipment maker Atescelik will spend TRY 30 million (USD 21.2m/EUR 15.1m) to start wind turbine towers production in the country, vice chairman Mahmut Guldogan said on Sunday.

The company plans to set up a wind turbine towers plant on a 70,000 sq m (753,474 sq ft) area in the western Turkish province of Izmir, targeting to produce 100 wind towers a year. The plant is expected to become operational at the beginning of 2012. It is seen to open 150 workplaces.

Atescelik would fund 40% of the planned investment from internal sources, Guldogan said, adding that the company was in talks for a partnership in the wind turbine towers business with five foreign firms, mostly from northern Europe.

Guldogan said Atescelik aims at tapping 25% of the current demand for wind turbine towers in the country, which is 300 to 400 units per year. It will also export towers to Greece, Romania and Bulgaria.

Wind power generation capacity in Turkey grew 75% on the year to 1.1 GW in 2009, reports from the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry show. Installed wind power capacity is seen to grow by 500 MW to 1 GW a year.

(TRY 1 = USD 0.706/EUR 0.503)

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