Tillsonburg Selected by Siemens for Turbine Plant

Siemens has recently announced that Tillsonburg, Canada will be the home of a new wind turbine blade manufacturing facility. Siemens expects to invest more than $20 million into the project.

The creation of the facility is expected to create 300 jobs along with 600 related jobs during the construction process.

On hand to help with the announcement was Brad Duguid, Ontario's Energy Minister who said, "I've had the opportunity in the last seven day to announce 1,700 clean energy jobs across the province. That's something."

The blade factory will be located in an existing 253,000 sq. ft facility. The factory will be the first manufacturing plant for wind turbine parts in Canada.

Rene Umlauft, CEO of Siemens Renewable Energy said in a press release, "By investing in a new blade production facility in Canada, Siemens is pushing further ahead with the regionalization of its wind manufacturing network in important markets." Umlauft continued stating, "Canada is one of the Top 10 wind power markets in the world by installed capacity."

Currently Siemens has eight projects commissioned or underway in Ontario and Manitoba.

In 2009 Canada saw wind power capacity climb by 40 percent, providing enough electricity to power more than one million homes. Canada's wind power capacity is expected to continue to climb providing enough electricity for 11 percent of the country's total power generation by October 2020.

Renovations to the Tillsonburg facility will begin in late December, and it its expected to be ready for production by October 2011.