Area Development
TPI Composites, a supplier of wind turbine blades, has signed an agreement with GE Energy that will result in TPI building a new manufacturing plant in Newton, Iowa. According to statements from the Iowa governor's office and both companies, the 316,000-square-foot facility, which is expected to create approximately 500 new jobs at full production, will produce blades for GE's 1.5-megawatt wind turbines. These turbines are the most widely used in the world, with more than 6,500 installed. TPI Composites is headquartered in Warren, Rhode Island, and has additional manufacturing facilities in Ohio, Mexico, and China. The Iowa expansion, expected to be completed in 2008, will bring the company to an estimated 1.1 million square feet of manufcturing space.