According to the ‘’Wind Energy and Economic Recovery in Europe’’ report prepared by the European Wind Energy Association (WindEurope), the top organization representing the wind energy sector in Europe, the wind energy sector in Europe was 75 percent terrestrial and it created employment for 300 thousand people, 25 of which were above the sea last year.
5 of the world’s 10 largest wind turbine manufacturers operate in Europe; Europe hosted 31 percent of the world’s wind turbine equipment manufacturing facilities. The facilities in question also accounted for 30 percent of global wind capacity.
The volume of the global wind turbine equipment markets this year reached 50 billion euros, with 38 billion euros on land and 12 billion euros offshore. Towers, rotor blades and gearbox, on the other hand, constitute 50 to 55 percent of the global market, making them the parts with the highest market value in the sector. The report assessed that competition was too fierce for these parts to be placed on the market. Of the 800 production facilities currently operating in the world, 31 percent was hosted by Europe and 45 percent by China, while India took 7 percent, Brazil 5 percent and North America 4.5 percent.
The largest manufacturers of wind turbine equipment across Europe were Germany, Spain, Italy and Denmark, respectively. In the ranking made according to the number of companies operating in the wind industry sector, Germany was the largest wind turbine equipment manufacturer country in Europe with its 82 production facilities. Germany was followed by Spain with 41 facilities, Italy with 17 facilities and Denmark with 13 facilities.
Turkey was ranked 5th in the list of the 12 plants for producing wind turbine equipment. 6 of the 12 Turkish facilities make tower production while the 4 facilities make wing production and the remaining 2 make moulding material production. In the list, Turkey is followed by France with 11 facilities, Poland with 9 facilities, England with 8, Holland and Portugal with 7.
Izmir, the Turkish wind capital
Mehmet Yavuz, the General Secretary of Izmir Development Agency (IZKA) operating under the coordination of the Ministry of Industry and Technology, said:
‘’ Turkey’s steps taken in the field of clean energy and clean technologies, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the National 11th Development Plan, are also reflected in the reports prepared by international institutions. The share of total installed power generating plants of installed power from wind energy in Turkey has reached 10 percent in 2020. Approximately 20 percent of this installed power is located in Izmir, and 40 percent is located in Izmir and its surroundings.’’
Yavuz expressed that apart from the energy production, Turkey’s wind power equipment manufacturing is also developed greatly and said:
”Most of the wind turbines, which consist of about 8 thousand parts, can now be produced in our country. On the other hand, facilities producing high-volume and value-added products such as wings, towers and nacelle which are considered as the main components, are especially located in Izmir and its surroundings. Besides the production of wind energy plants made in Turkey made exports all over the world.”
Noting that IZKA also continues to work to strengthen İzmir’s position and competitiveness in the wind industry sector, Yavuz said:
‘’Turkey’s position in the wind industry is growing every day. Izmir takes the lead in Turkey’s wind industry and at the same time, it is the wind energy capital of its nearby geography. All 4 wind wing factories included in WindEurope’s report, three of the 6 tower factories, one of 2 casting plants are located in Izmir. In line with the studies carried out by our agency, we know that in addition to the main manufacturers in the report, there are more than 30 companies producing various components of the wind turbine in Izmir. Although these companies are not included in the report in question, they are included in other studies and databases of WindEurope, of which we are a member as the Agency and we cooperate to recognize the wind industry of our country. We are confident that Turkey will come to better places than this in reports like this in the upcoming period with the completion of the investments that are still in preparation process.’’
Yavuz reminded that the Investment Support Office (Invest in Izmir), which operates within IZKA, both carries out investment promotion activities in the wind energy sector and provides free investment consultancy to potential investors, and added that the Agency will be very happy to support all interested parties who plan investment in this field.
source: AA / translated by Melisa Karayusufoglu