Nordex aims to double wind energy production in Türkiye

SERKAN ARMAN / Izmir - Turkey, which was the second country that commissioned the most new onshore wind capacity in Europe after Germany last year, is also the second largest market for Nordex after Germany. In parallel with this growth, the company increases its weight in production. Menemen factory has an annual capacity of 1200 wings. The installation of two new production lines is ongoing in the factory, which will employ 1200 people at full capacity. The second facility in Aliağa is expected to be ready in February.

Nordex Energy Turkey and Middle East Regional Vice President Ender Özatay said, "We invested 70 million euros, all with equity, in 2026. The facility is full in 2026 and 2027. 50 percent of 2028 is filled with orders. We will double our production capacity."

1 billion euro business volume

Operating in Turkey since 2009, the company's turbines constitute approximately one-third of Turkey's operating wind capacity. While the commissioned capacity of Nordex exceeds 5.5 GW, its share in projects under construction reaches approximately 60 percent. Stating that they have reached a business volume of approximately 1 billion euros in Turkey, Özatay said that they expect this to exceed 1.5 billion euros in 3 years. One of the main factors supporting investment is the locality requirement in Renewable Energy Resource Areas (YEKA) tenders, which aim to reduce Turkey's foreign dependency in energy technologies while increasing its renewable energy production. Özatay said, "If it wasn't for YEKA, we wouldn't be in this facility right now. This ecosystem wouldn't have formed." The company plans to export the wings produced in Menemen to Europe in the medium term. Özatay summarized the current situation with the words: "The domestic business has grown so much that we have reached the point where we can no longer export from here. We cannot keep up with the domestic market."

'Rotor' as tall as a 50-storey building

Blades for N163 and N175 turbines are produced in Menemen. The part of the turbine that rotates with the blades is called the rotor. The number in the model name indicates the rotor diameter. Explaining the 163-meter rotor diameter of N163, Factory Manager Ozan Mamay said, "If you consider that one floor is 3 meters, we are talking about a diameter equal to the height of a 50-storey building."