Gamesa considers Moroccan blade plant

MOROCCO: Gamesa and ACWA Power of Saudia Arabia will build a blade factory in Tangier if successful in the government tender for 850MW issued last year.

by Jan Dodd 19 February 2015

A G128 blade at a Gamesa blade plant in northern Spain

The tender also includes an option to supply and maintain turbines for the planned 200MW extension of the Koudia Al Baida plant near Tangier.

For the first time in Morocco, bidders must include some element of local manufacture in their plans.

The consortium will work in partnership with US blade manufacturer TPI Consortium, which supplies Gamesa in Mexico and the US. The factory, owned by TPI, would be capable of supplying over 1000 blades a year for the local market and export to Europe and the Middle East.

The other four entities bidding are Acciona; EDF Energies with Alstom, QWEC of Qatar and FIPAR of Morocco; Nareva Holding of Morocco with Enel Green Power and Siemens; and GDF Suez with Vestas.

They are now waiting for the government to request the commercial bid submissions.