Brazilian wind flagbearer WEG sets global sights with 7MW onshore turbine giant

Brazilian engineering conglomerate WEG set its sights on international markets as it launched a 7MW wind turbine that’s among the most powerful onshore machines on the blocks globally.

WEG – which already supplies 2MW and 4MW turbines in its domestic wind sector – has made limited progress abroad but said the new medium-speed geared 7MW model had been “designed with features adapted to also serve other markets”.

The company claimed the turbine, with a 172-metre diameter rotor, offers modular components and “the flexibility to adapt and comply with different grid codes in each country”.

The 7MW rating puts the WEG turbine among supersized onshore machines planned by global giants such as Vestas and Siemens Gamesa.

The Brazilian company aims to have a prototype installed in 2024 with commercial production beginning the following year.

WEG, a sprawling industrial group making everything from automation systems to lawnmowers, is counting on its ability to source key components internally to help give it an edge.

“With wind turbine qualified engineering teams from Brazil, US and Germany, in addition to the expertise of producing many of the components internally, such as generators, electric motors, electronic components and paints, we will achieve important cost and quality advantages,” claimed João Paulo Gualberto da Silva, managing director of WEG's Energy Business Unit.