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Ateşçelik plans factory to harness Turkey’s wind power potential
- 14 years ago (2010-10-25)
- Junior Isles
Turkish company Ateşçelik, which produces a number of devices for power plants and other industrial equipment, is investing 30 million Turkish Liras in the production of wind turbine towers inthe western province of İzmir.
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The company will build a new 70 000 m2 factory by December. As wind energy investments grow in Turkey the company intends to eventually produce 100 wind turbines a year.
Ateşçelik currently produces electrostatic precipitators, duct parts, casings, air heaters, bunkers, silos, cyclones and heavy steel structures for power plants and pressure equipment.
“With two companies already producing towers for wind turbines in Turkey, it is not profitable for foreign companies to bring massive towers to Turkey for their investments, especially in the southern and western coastal regions” vice chairman of Ateşçelik, Mahmut Güldoğan claimed.
“The demand [for turbines] is currently around 300-400 towers each year”, said Güldoğan, adding that Ateşçelik aimed to meet one quarter of this demand by next year.
“It is expected that Turkey’s tower needs for wind turbines will be around 1000 units each year until 2023” he further speculated.
He confirmed the company has plans to export to markets in Greece, Romania and Bulgaria. “The new factory will not only meet the growing demand in Turkey but also in neighbouring countries..” he said, noting that there are no tower producers currently based there. He added “we hav he said, noting that there are no tower producers currently based there. He added: “We have ongoing negotiations with five foreign companies, mainly from northern Europe, to sign a partnership agreement for our new investment in wind turbine towers.”
Turkey has 46.5 GW of power generation capacity but wind power represents only 1.1 GW of this figure, though the segment is growing rapidly. Last year, 343 MW of new capacity was added representing an annual growth rate of 75 percent.
If the targets are met, wind power would cover one-fifth of Turkey’s power demand by 2023.