FORT MADISON, Iowa — A month after celebrating completion of its first new turbine as a merged company, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy celebrated the completion of the first blades for the SG 3.4-132 wind turbine in the U.S. at its blade manufacturing facility in Fort Madison, Iowa, on Tuesday. The nacelle and hub for this turbine were assembled last month in Hutchinson.

To enable the manufacturing of this new product, Fort Madison employees traveled to the company’s facilities in Spain for training on the new blade design of the SG 3.4-132 turbine.

Earlier this year, employees from Hutchinson traveled to the company’s nacelle assembly facility in Ágreda, Spain, where they learned the build process, tooling requirements and quality documentation needed to produce the SG 3.4-132.

As previously announced, the company’s two facilities were retooled to accommodate the updated product portfolio. These capital investments enabled the locations to expand their capabilities to meet varying market demands. Since opening, Fort Madison has produced nearly 16,500 blades. Hutchinson has assembled nearly 4,000 nacelles and hubs for various projects across North and South America.

The SG 3.4-132 wind turbine features an output of 3.465 megawatts and a rotor diameter of 132 meters, making it one of the most efficient and cost-effective solutions for medium wind sites.