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Press Release

GE Renewable Energy to hire 250 employees for its wind turbine blade factory in Cherbourg, France

June 18, 2020
  • GE Renewable Energy plans to recruit 250 employees at its LM Wind Power wind turbine blade factory in Cherbourg, France, by the first quarter of 2021.
  • Every new hire will go through an intensive training program at the factory's ‘Center of Excellence' to learn wind turbine blade manufacturing processes.
  • Opened two years ago in April 2018, the factory today counts more than 300 employees, and has produced the world’s largest offshore wind turbine blade ever manufactured, 107-meters long.

Cherbourg, Thursday June 18th, 2020 - GE Renewable Energy announced today its plan to recruit 250 employees at its LM Wind Power wind turbine blade manufacturing site in Cherbourg, France, by the first quarter of 2021. Every new hire will go through an intensive training program at the factory's ‘Center of Excellence' to learn wind turbine blade manufacturing processes. The expanded production workforce will allow the company to address industry demand.

Opened two years ago in April 2018, the factory today counts more than 300 employees, 34 percent being women. The facility became the first wind turbine blade manufacturing site in France.

The facility has produced the world’s largest offshore wind turbine blade ever manufactured, 107-meters long, dedicated to GE’s Haliade-X 12 MW offshore wind turbine. In 2019, two blades were shipped to testing facilities, and three were assembled on the Haliade-X validation unit in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The Cherbourg site has now started commercial production.

Henrik Ravn, the site Director, said: "Cherbourg is the world’s first and only factory to produce a blade longer than 100-meters. It’s a great milestone for the wind industry, but also an outstanding achievement for the teams. This could not have happened without their passion and commitment. We are proud to take part in the region’s social and economic development, to create more jobs in the surrounding community, but also to bring new skills to Normandy’s workforce."

The Cherbourg team is mostly looking to expand its production workforce, with positions that are open to all profiles and backgrounds. Every new employee will be trained to manufacture wind turbine blades through LM Wind Power's ‘Center of Excellence' training program – a six-week theoretical and practical training course, which will develop the skills and technical expertise required to produce high-quality wind turbine blades. The site will also be looking for production supervisors, quality controllers, logistic operators and maintenance technicians.

Following the training, employees receive official certificates recognized in the French industry, as a Qualification Certificates for Metallurgy in Operations.

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About LM Wind Power
LM Wind Power, a GE Renewable Energy Business, is a world leading designer and manufacturer of rotor blades for wind turbines, with a global manufacturing footprint that includes blade factories in Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, India, Poland, Spain, France, Turkey and the United States. The company has produced more than 228,000 blades since 1978, corresponding to more than 113 GW installed capacity and global savings of 242 million metric tons of CO2 annually. In 2018, LM Wind Power became the first carbon neutral business in the wind industry.
Follow us at www.lmwindpower.com or on Twitter @lmwindpower

About GE Renewable Energy
GE Renewable Energy is a $15 billion business which combines one of the broadest portfolios in the renewable energy industry to provide end-to-end solutions for our customers demanding reliable and affordable green power. Combining onshore and offshore wind, blades, hydro, storage, utility-scale solar, and grid solutions as well as hybrid renewables and digital services offerings, GE Renewable Energy has installed more than 400+ gigawatts of clean renewable energy and equipped more than 90 percent of utilities worldwide with its grid solutions. With nearly 40,000 employees present in more than 80 countries, GE Renewable Energy creates value for customers seeking to power the world with affordable, reliable and sustainable green electrons.
Follow us at www.ge.com/renewableenergy, on www.linkedin.com/company/gerenewableenergy, or on www.twitter.com/GErenewables

For media inquiries, please contact:

Sebastien Duchamp
Communications Director
GE Renewable Energy
+33 6 73 19 59 64
[email protected]

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