The extension of the Goleniów based plant, changes in the shareholding structure and environmental issues were discussed during a meeting involving the management of LM Wind Power and mayors and a deputy to the county executive. On Thursday, 1st December, Bjarne Sandager Nielsen, vice president of LM Wind Power A/S, and Jesper Sørensen, head of operations, Europe,
LM Wind Power Blades, visited Goleniów.
During the meeting held in the mayor’s office the delegation was accompanied
by Remigiusz Podcaba, the director of the Goleniów plant. The extension of the plant situated in the Goleniów Industrial Park was a predominant topic of the discussion. At the moment, the company develops an office building to replace existing facilities in office containers. Early next year, the extension of the production facility is going to start which will actually double production space. The far reaching investment plan corresponds to global trends in the renewable energy sector and the current standing of the company. On the global market, the sector of renewable sources
of energy reached the long awaited competitiveness level without governmental support. Thus, the sector has more stable prospects for the future. LM Wind Power plans to encounter nearly 50% increase in revenue in 2016 thanks
to the development of new Asian markets.
Early October this year, LM Group Holding announced that Doughty Hanson, European private equity fund, agreed to sell their shares in LM to General Electric for EUR 1.5 billion. The transaction is going to be closed in the first half of the next year. While commenting on the transaction, Marc de Jong, president of LM Wind Power, said: Having the global leader as our shareholder will ensure the necessary stability, visibility and power to proceed with the implementation of our ambitious development plans. The new owner will help us in the full utilization of our advanced technology and design concepts, and enhance production capacity, reliability
and global expansion. In the opinion of Nielsen and Sørensen, the changes
of the owner will not be encountered at the level of day to day operations
of the Goleniów plant, except for the fact that the plant situated at no. 3 Nowa street in Łozienica was the first in the group to be certified by Siemens, a new LM client. Thus, the position of the plant in the group has strengthened.
In relation to the investment in the industrial park, LM Wind Power has intensified their effort to utilize a support road connecting to the S3 expressway. Next year,
at the junction with regional road no. 111, a bend of the road will be improved
at the cost of the investor to enable hassle free transport of 70 m long blades.
The extension of the plant in Łozienica will generate about 400 new jobs. Recruitment at such a scale is a major challenge for the investor. During the meeting, mayor Krupowicz listed activities by the local government to improve accessibility
of the GIP for employees. Those included the building of a path for bikers
and pedestrians along Prosta and Produkcyjna streets and a central car park
for trucks, as well as coordinating a bus schedule with requirements of investors
and talks with investors interested in building of a hotel for workers, nursery
and kindergarten in the GIP. The development of housing in the city will also play
an important role for prospective employees.
Representatives of LM Wind Power presented steps taken by the company to reduce emission of volatile organic compounds. The goal is to reduce the emission
from the plant by several dozens of percents comparing to current levels.
Director R. Podcaba highlighted excellent cooperation between the company
and the local government, and mentioned the involvement of the investor in local initiatives. Almost every month, LM Wind Power supports financially various projects implemented by Goleniów based institutions and NGOs. Tomasz Stanisławski, deputy to county executive, used the opportunity to thank for assigning
of a substantial amount for the purchasing of a tomograph to be used in the local hospital.
Early next year, the Municipality of Goleniów plans to develop an outdoor advertising for the Goleniów Industrial Park in cooperation with LM Wind Power. The outdoor will consists of a 50 m blade.
