Production of new 7MW equipment expected to start by 2025
07/05/2022
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New wind turbines will initially be made at a manufacturing facility in Jaraguá do Sul — Foto: Divulgação/WEG
WEG, the Santa Catarina-based machinery and equipment maker, will invest in the production of Brazil’s largest wind turbine. The 7-megawatt equipment, whose rotor has a diameter of 172 meters, will be tailored to serve other markets as well.
The company is investing in the development, engineering, testing and validation of the technology, and will invest in assets to make and install this equipment as needed.
The manufacturing of the new wind turbines will initially take place in Brazil, at the manufacturing facility in Jaraguá do Sul (Santa Catarina), where the company already produces wind turbines and has a wind operations center to control, monitor and analyze equipment in operation across the country.
The prototype of the new wind turbine is expected to go into operation in early 2024, with the start of serial production in the following year.
Unlike the 4.2 MW platform currently manufactured by WEG, which stands out for its focus on the specific wind and weather conditions in Brazil, the new wind turbine has characteristics adapted to serve other markets as well.
Today the company holds 10% of the domestic market and competes in the segment with Vestas, GE, Siemens Gamesa, Nordex Acciona and Wobben. João Paulo Gualberto da Silva, WEG’s energy managing director, explains that the company intends to grow in the wind power generation business and the initial strategy is to reallocate the funds currently invested in the manufacture of the 4.2 MW wind turbine to this new model.
“We will need to make some adjustments and, possibly, expansions. However, the priority is to make the most of the existing manufacturing structure. We will continue to take advantage of our capacity to produce many components internally, such as generators, motors, electronics, and even paints, thus obtaining important cost and quality advantages,” the executive told Valor.
As with all the platforms developed, WEG says it takes into consideration the weather conditions in Brazil, but intends to market this equipment in other geographies, taking advantage of the regions where the company already has a commercial and manufacturing presence.
“We have had success with our 2.1 MW platform, which totals 650 MW in operation, exceeding availability commitments, as well as with our current 4.2 MW platform, of which we have already commercialized over 1,000 MW.”
*By Robson Rodrigues — São Paulo
Source: Valor International