With European offshore wind market tipped for a rebound this year, the Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas has announced plans to establish a new blade factory in Szczecin, Poland. This will be Vestas’ second factory in the country, and it is located close to where the company is building an assembly plant.

The two factories are planned to support European and to some extent global demand. With the addition of the blade plant, Vestas expects to employ more than 2500 people in Poland.

The new factory will produce blades for Vestas’ flagship offshore wind turbine, the V236-15.0 MW, and will start operations in 2026. In fact, 76 units of this model will be used in the construction of the 1.2 GW Baltic Power Project, Poland’s first offshore wind farm. The farm is being built about 14 miles off the coast, near Leba and Choczewo, and is expected to come online in 2026.

Vestas said that its manufacturing footprint strategy is aimed at prioritizing markets where there is long-term certainty around market condition. According to President of Vestas Northern Europe Nils de Baar, Poland is transforming its energy system, making it an attractive location for investments in both onshore and offshore wind projects. In addition, Poland has a highly skilled labor force and growing wind industry that can become an offshore hub for the Baltic region and the rest of Europe.

“Our plans for two new offshore factories in Poland underline that Europe can spur wind industry investments and green jobs with the right long-term policy commitments for offshore wind projects,” said Tommy Rahbek Nielsen, Vestas COO.