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Tacke “uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç Inc, the Canadian subsidiary of Tacke Windtechnik of Germany, is exploring blade manufacture for other wind turbine makers. Meanwhile it is turning out one blade a day for its German parent from its manufacturing facility at Huron Industrial Park, near the city of London in southwestern Ontario. The facility, now a year old, has made more than 300 blades for Tacke 600 kW turbines, under a $16 million contract with Tacke Windtechnik.

The Canadian company is manufacturing two types of polyester blades -- for the 43 metre rotor diameter model and the 46 metre 600e model. Tacke “uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç is expected in the future to produce at least 50% of all the blades for 600 kW turbines required by Tacke Windtechnik. The production plant employs 65 people.

"Some 95% of the parts of the blade are now sourced in North America, to North American standards," says Tacke “uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç's president, Helge Wittholz. "This greatly reduces production costs, while shipping costs have been reduced by one-third thanks to our new integrated shipping frame, which houses three blades."

The only Tacke wind turbine yet installed in Canada is a 600 kW machine, installed nearly a year ago at Kincardine, Ontario, adjacent to Ontario Hydro's Bruce nuclear power complex.