Two of Europe's largest wind turbine manufacturers have temporarily suspended operations at their factories in Spain. Denmark's Vestas, the largest turbine maker in the world, has closed both its facilities in the country, and Siemens Gamesa has stopped activity at six sites, leaving a further four partially open.
Siemens Gamesa
Source: Siemens
German wind power manufacturer Nordex has also temporarily ceased activities in Spain.
The closure announcements coincide with the imposition of tighter restrictions by the government in Madrid as the death toll in the country surpassed 10,000.
In Italy, which has seen almost 14,000 deaths from Covid-19 at the time of writing, eleven wind turbine manufacturing facilities have been closed, bringing the total across Europe to 19.
WindEurope, the association which represents the wind power industry in Europe released a statement in an attempt to remind governments of the importance of sustainable energy.
The statement said: “…it is critical that the wind industry can continue to produce essential equipment in its factories. The industry is organising its workforce to protect health and safety, in many cases significantly reducing the number of workers on site. But national governments need to allow for essential manufacturing processes to continue, in particular for the production of components without which global wind energy supply chains will grind to a halt.”
At present, around 15% of electricity in Europe comes from wind power. The European Commission is aiming to increase that share to 50% by 2050.
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