One Man's Joy Is Another Man's Sorrow

According to a statement by Siemens Gamesa in the Des Moines Register, Iowa, "Business volume at this location through the 2018 fiscal year does not support the existing workforce level. While we remain strongly committed to the long-term viability of the U.S. wind market, a difficult decision has been made to adjust the Fort Madison workforce by about 200 employees.“

Although Siemens emphasizes the importance of the rotor blade factory and announces extensive investments for the future, 202 employees will be laid off by March. The plant is one of the largest employers in the structurally weak region of the Midwestern United States.

The mood at the newly built Siemens Gamesa plant in Cuxhaven, on the other hand, is completely different. The nacelles for the company's 7 MW offshore wind turbines will be produced there in the future. A first nacelle – consisting of a generator, cabin and a rotor blade hub – has now been successfully assembled and tested, as Siemens Gamesa announced on Twitter. The rotor blades for these nacelles come from the newly built plant in Hull, Great Britain.