The supply of turbine components will become increasingly global as auction-based support regimes continue to push project economics to the top of the agenda, according to the chief executive of US blade manufacturer TPI Composites.
Steve Lockard (pictured), who is one of three event ambassadors for WindEurope 2019, told reNEWS growing levels of subcontracting for fabrication work is resulting in supply chains stretching into new lower-cost territories.
“Rather than worry about where factories should be located, the industry should focus on what can be done in order to further reduce the cost of wind energy,” he said.
Outsourcing supply also allows manufacturers “to use their precious capital to grow their business rather than use it up investing in blade factories”, he added.
However, Lockard said third-party suppliers face a number of challenges, including dealing with larger components for next-generation turbine platforms.
“Turbine producers are leapfrogging each other in terms of bringing more powerful turbines with larger rotor diameters to market. We are meeting this challenge by increasing our tooling capacity across our lines,” he said.
TPI has 54 production lines in operation globally, currently working exclusively in onshore wind. The company plans to install 19 more by end-2020, including two for offshore wind blades.
Lockard said he expects outsourcing of offshore blades, which have traditionally been fabricated internally by manufacturers, to increase.
He will take part in an industry panel discussion during the opening conference session in auditorium 1-2 at 09.15 on day one.