Wind turbine rotor blade manufacturer LM Glasfiber opens second factory in India

Blade manufacturer LM Glasfiber has opened its second factory in India and 11th worldwide. The facility, at Dabaspet, Karnataka, will produce 800 blades a year specifically for Vestas 1.65 MW turbines. Last year LM signed a three year supply agreement with Vestas to produce blades for 1500 MW of the company's turbines, which are assembled in Chennai in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. The opening of the LM factory allows Vestas to "tap into the future growth of the Indian and global markets," says the company's Thorbjørn Rasmussen. LM notes that Karnataka is a central area for the Indian wind energy market and the Dabaspet location "offers excellent logistical options, resources of trained manpower and a developed supplier base while the proximity to LM Glasfiber's Hoskote plant allows for significant synergies." Dabaspet completes LM Glasfiber's 1 GW 2007 capacity expansion program including two new factories in Spain and China opened earlier this year.