GRI Renewable Industries initiates its presence in South Africa with a new wind tower manufacturing facility

This new development will amount to an investment of 22 million euros that will create more than 200 jobs in the steel fabrication sector

January, 20th, 2014. GRI Renewable Industries, wind industrial division of Corporación Gestamp, will start wind tower manufacturing in South Africa, via its new manufacturing facility in Atlantis, Cape Town (Western Cape).

More than 200 jobs will be created in this new world class, 150 towers a year plant that will produce wind towers for the South African market with a total project investment of 22 million Euros.

It is forecasted that this new development will be fully operational in the second semester of 2014, with the objective of supplying wind towers to the South African market, contributing to the strong development of renewable energy markets in the country.

According to Javier Imaz, CEO of GRI: “With this new facility, GRI consolidates its position in the South African market, factor that will enable the business to deploy and share its know-how to the local market”.

Moreover, the group, through its Wind subsidiary, is constructing a wind farm of 75 MW located in the Karoo area on the farm Noblesfontein (Victoria West), with an approximate investment of 160 million Euros. Gestamp Wind is also hoping to be awarded with another wind project of 100,8 MW submitted in the Round 3 of the REIPP public tender process.

About GRI Renewable Industries

GRI Renewable Industries (www.gri.com.es) started in 2008 as the wind industrial division of Corporación Gestamp. Leaders in industrial integration processes of Wind towers and flanges for the principal OEM´s of the wind energy market from 10 manufacturing facilities worldwide. Apart from wind tower manufacturing, GRI Renewable Industries is responsible for the installed equipment and wind tower logistics in accordance to our client´s specifications.

About Corporación Gestamp

Corporación Gestamp (www.corporaciongestamp.com), GRI´s umbrella business, is an international company and leader in different sectors such as steel, vehicle components and renewable energies.
Currently Corporation Gestamp is present in 25 countries in Europe, the Americas and Asia, with more than 130 industrial plants and a global workforce of more than 35.000 employees. The annual turnover of Corporación Gestamp in 2013 exceeded 9 000 million Euros