GE subsidiary LM Wind Power has completed recruitment plans for 2018 at its offshore wind blade manufacturing plant in Cherbourg, France, with more than 100 people now employed at the facility.
The first group of 30 employees started a training programme in September, with a second group commencing in late October, GE said.
It added that construction of the factory is on track to start the prototyping phase in January 2019.
LM Wind Power offshore wind vice president Alexis Crama said: “The Cherbourg site is a great location to support the development of the offshore wind industry in Europe and beyond, with a positive impact on the jobs and the ecosystem in the surrounding region.
“We are investing in building a strong and sustainable value chain and are happy to welcome the first hundred recruits.”
The first blade produced will be shipped to the ORE Catapult research & development centre in Blyth in the UK for indoor testing.
The next three blades produced will be installed on GE’s Haliade-X 12MW prototype at the end of the second quarter of 2019, at a yet to-be-determined site, the company said.
LM 107.0P project director Lukasz Cejrowski said: “This project entails new challenges and creates enthusiasm as we are starting up a new factory, installing new equipment inside and welcoming new people with diverse backgrounds. At the same time, we are developing a new product: a new blade of a size we have never achieved before.
“We can witness a significant combination of efforts as we use the expertise from our facilities worldwide to train the people in Cherbourg. This enthusiasm from all our teams will bring us to the successful ramp-up of the factory.”
GE added that assembly of the first two Haliade-X nacelles at the Saint-Nazaire manufacturing site in France is also progressing.