EANS-News: Nordex AG / Nordex celebrates groundbreaking for wind turbine plant, details hiring schedule

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Utl.: • Plant will serve the American wind energy boom market from 2010 onwards

• Establishes Arkansas as a manufacturing center for the wind industry
• Large-scale recruiting to kick off in January
=

Norderstedt (euro adhoc) - Jonesboro/Chicago, 11 September 2009. Nordex USA,
Inc., a leading manufacturer of utility-scale wind turbines, today held a
groundbreaking celebration at the construction site of its $100 million
manufacturing facility in Jonesboro, Arkansas. At the event, management
presented its vision for a renewable energy future, as well as details on plans
to hire 700 people by 2014. Leaders from government, business and the community
attended the celebration, expressing hope for the revitalization of American
manufacturing and the birth of a new industry in Arkansas.

"I am pleased that Nordex has chosen Arkansas for its manufacturing center,"
Governor Mike Beebe said. "Our success in the clean-energy economy is exciting,
and having a global wind energy company, like Nordex, in the Natural State helps
to promote sustainability, alternative-energy development, and
environmentally-friendly practices."

The first phase of construction began at the 187-acre site in Craighead
Technology Park in late July. Nordex has been undeterred in its plans to build
and hire. "We are positioning ourselves for the market surge around the corner,"
said Ralf Sigrist, President and CEO of Nordex USA, based in Chicago. "We are
absolutely confident that the US wind market will be the biggest in the world.
`Made-in-Arkansas´ is at the core of our strategy to win." Production is
scheduled to begin in mid 2010.

Nordex is already seeing a pick up in the market. It recently completed the 62.5
megawatt "Highland" wind farm in Pennsylvania and is working on further
projects. Parent company Nordex AG attributes much of its profit growth to the
US market. The US accounted for 12 percent of the company´s global sales, up
from roughly one percent in the previous year. "I repeatedly sense that nowhere
is the renewable energy vision stronger than in the United States," remarked
Thomas Richterich, CEO of Nordex AG. "And when America catches a vision, the
whole world changes."

A windfall of jobs
At the ceremony, management gave an update on the hiring schedule. "We expect to
be producing up to 300 wind turbines a year by 2014," said Joe Brenner, VP of
Production in Jonesboro. "It will take a highly-skilled, well-trained workforce
of around 700 people to make that happen. Right now we have five people and a
construction zone. So we´re looking at a strong rampup and an aggressive
recruiting and training program."

Hiring will span about four years. Nordex plans to locally employ close to 100
people by the end of 2010, as it begins ramping up nacelle assembly, in the
areas of operations, office support, supply management, production engineering,
quality assurance and more. Recruiting will begin in January followed by hiring
in the spring. The nacelle workforce will gradually reach up to 240 people as
the plant approaches full capacity over the next two and a half years.
Recruiting and hiring will follow a similar pattern for the rotor blade
facility, which will be built in phase two of the construction. Job openings
will be posted on the company´s website at www.nordex-online.com, with
additional details to come.

Besides direct hires, Nordex is also creating jobs through the contracting of
services. For example, Nordex has contracted with the construction firm, H&M
Company, Inc. of Jackson, Tennessee, which is dedicating between 250 and 300
workers to the construction project.

Finally, the company is localizing its supply chain. "We want to foster a
neighborhood of local wind players around Jonesboro," said Brenner.
"Logistically, it´s more efficient to share a backyard than to ship large
components cross-country."

Plant details
The Jonesboro operation will be an original equipment manufacturer (OEM)
producing one of the largest classes of wind turbines in the world, the 2.5
megawatt N90 and N100. Each of these utility-scale turbines is capable of
generating enough renewable energy to power about 700 American homes. In 2000,
Nordex built the first turbine this large and has the longest track record for
reliability in the multi-megawatt class. The $40 million nacelle assembly plant
will have 115,000 square feet of production space, 10,000 square feet for a
Training Academy and 35,000 square feet of office space. The $60 million rotor
blade facility is then expected to begin production in late 2012.

Heating and cooling at the plant will be powered entirely by geothermal energy.
"The investment will pay for itself within 12 years," said Sigrist, "and will
save considerable amounts over the long run. Just as renewable energy will do
for all of America. The investment pays off."

Full plant details and images are available for download at
www.nordex-online.com.

About Nordex
Nordex is one of the fastest growing wind turbine producers, operating in 18
countries and employing 2,200 people. There are currently 3,927 Nordex wind
turbines rotating in 34 countries with a total rated output of more than 5,339
megawatts. In 2008, Nordex achieved over $1.5 billion in sales and produced the
1,000th turbine of the N80/N90/N100 class. The company´s global headquarters is
located in Hamburg, Germany.

Further inquiry note:
Felix Losada
Tel.: +49 (0)40 300 30 1141
[email protected]
Ende der Mitteilung euro adhoc
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emitter: Nordex AG
Bornbarch 2
D-22848 Norderstedt
phone: +49 (0)40 30030-1000
FAX: +49 (0)40 30030-1101
mail: [email protected]
WWW: http://www.nordex-online.com
sector: Alternative energy
ISIN: DE000A0D6554, DE0000A0D66L2
indexes: TecDAX, CDAX, HDAX, Prime All Share, Technologie All Share, ÖkoDAX
stockmarkets: regulated dealing/prime standard: Frankfurt, free trade: Berlin,
Stuttgart, Düsseldorf, München
language: English

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