GE Renewable Energy-owned blade-maker LM Wind Power has cut the ribbon on a new technology facility outside New Orleans to serve the US market, with a focus on developing “lighter and more cost effective” designs.

The Technology Center Americas, part of the NASA Michoud Campus where GE acquisition Blade Dyanmics developed its ultra-long blade concept, plans to hire up to 100 employees on top of the 50 currently employed, as well as partnering with local universities to create training programmes for a range of engineering manufacturing disciplines.

“Innovation is at the heart of our company. Our customers rely on us to push the research envelope to make blades lighter, stronger, and more affordable,” said LM Wind Power chief executive Duncan Berry at the inauguration, which was attended by Don Pierson, the Louisiana secretary of economic development.

“This new technology centre gives us a local base from which to support our customers in the Americas as well as to partner with world-class researchers from the US Department of Energy and elsewhere in the US,” said Berry.

He added that the new facility was “ideally situated” to serve a US wind power market that has a pipeline of projects under construction or in advanced development of 38GW, according to latest American Wind Energy Association data.

Wind

LM Wind Power opens doors on Americas blade facility