US blade maker TPI Composites is on schedule to reopen its Newton, Iowa plant in mid-2025 to support GE Vernova, its CEO Bill Siwek said.
“Over the last year, we optimised our manufacturing footprint and streamlined our operations, which we believe has positioned us for much improved profitability in 2025, said Bill Siwek, president and CEO. “We are proud of what the TPI team accomplished in 2024 given the global challenges we’ve been navigating.”
US-based manufacturing has been boosted by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022, which encourages domestic content. The move also comes as US president Donald Trump is threatening 25% tariffs on all Mexican goods as soon as early March. Blades and towers are the main wind-sector imports from Mexico.
TPI said that it had extended supply agreements with Vestas and GE Vernova through 2025. “Demand for our blades out of our Mexico factories exceeds current capacity for 2025 so we are ramping up production lines there to support 24/7 operations,” Siwek said.
The Iowa plant, which has always made GE Vernova blades exclusively, had employed around 720 workers before the manufacturer closed it in 2024 following a contraction in the market. TPI had previously said that it expects the re-opened plant to employ up to 1,000 people.
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