Siemens AG (SI) is moving into the Latin American market for wind-energy turbines - beginning in Mexico - as it seeks a place among the world's top suppliers for wind-driven renewable energy.
Siemens AG (SI) is moving into the Latin American market for wind-energy
turbines - beginning in
Mexico
- as
it seeks a place among the world's top suppliers for wind-driven renewable
energy.
"We have a defined target of becoming one of the top-three wind turbine
producers," said Jan Kjaersgaard, vice president and general manager for
Siemens Wind Power Americas, part of
U.S.
subsidiary
Siemens Energy Inc.
"It's important to be in the markets where we see growth," he said in
a telephone interview.
Latin America
has little installed wind-energy capacity even as
global growth in the sector hit 30% a year at the start of the decade before
slowing to 24% from 2004 to 2007, according to the International Finance
Corporation. It has slowed further in recent years due to the debt crisis.
The IFC and top wind turbine manufacturers see a recovery around the corner and
an eventual boom, as governments provide incentives to meet international
commitments for clean, renewable energy.
Currently, Siemens wind turbines have a global installed capacity of 9,600
megawatts, with about two-thirds of that in
Europe
and
the rest in the
U.S.
,
Canada
and
elsewhere.
Kjaersgaard said that puts Siemens at fifth or sixth in the world for wind
turbine manufacturers.
"We are very strong especially in
Canada
and
the
U.S.
and
are starting up in
Latin America
," he said.
Unlike its competitors - including Gamesa Corporacion Tenologica (GCTAY),
Acciona (ANA.MC), Denmark's Vestas Wind Systems (VWDRY) and Clipper Windpower
(CWP.LN) - Siemens isn't making its Mexico debut in windy Oaxaca state, but
rather will install 70 of its new 2.3-megawatt turbines along the Gulf Coast.
Siemens joined with the private Mexican energy producer Grupo Soluciones en
Energias Renovables SOE, or GSEER-SOE, to fuel the Los Vergeles wind farm in
the Mexico-Texas border state of Tamaulipas.
The turbine order exceeds $270 million, with a ground-breaking ceremony
scheduled for this month, Siemens said.
Kjaersgaard said the proximity to the Gulf offers wind speed of about eight
meters per second, allowing the turbines to operate around 40% of capacity. "It's
less than
Oaxaca
, but
it's still a very nice wind speed."
Sergio Lopez, director of operations for GSEER-SOE, said the company has an
agreement with the 43 municipalities in Tamaulipas to provide energy for
government installations such as schools and hospitals.
Before deciding on Siemens, Lopez said, the company did a series of studies on
how wind turbines from the biggest global companies would perform as part of
the project.
"We spoke to the largest European and
U.S.
manufacturers," he said, adding that Siemens' size and financial stability
"was a plus" since it helped a small firm like GSEER-SOE to obtain
financing.
Dana R. Younger, an IFC official, said
Mexico
had
just 88 megawatts of installed wind-energy capacity in 2008 but will have
another 300 megawatts this year.
Mexico
could
develop up to 3,800 megawatts of capacity by 2014, he said at an energy
conference this month.
The wind energy market, Younger added, is going through a tough time due mostly
to financing issues, but new renewable energy funds should help.
The financial statements of two wind turbine giants shows global suppliers are
facing a mixed bag of demand.
Denmark
's
Vestas reported an 11% increase in turbine sales based on megawatt capacity for
the 2009 third quarter as compared with the same time period last year.
Meanwhile,
Spain
's
Gamesa reported a 16% fall in the megawatt output of its turbine sales during
the first nine months of the year, compared with the same period in 2008.
Mike Revak, vice president for sales at Siemens Wind Power Americas, said the
company is preparing for an upcoming energy auction in
Brazil
to
assign several wind projects.
Meanwhile,
Chile
has
specific goals for companies on renewable energy usage, making it a favorable
market.
Those three nations make up the "economic engines" of
Latin
America
, he said, and Siemens is betting that its wind turbines will be
increasingly fueling them.
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