Coronavirus paralyzes wind energy jobs in Spain

The coronavirus outbreak in Spain has forced the government to declare a state of emergency and impose extraordinary measures and restrictions, which have resulted in the closure of factories in the country in at least two large companies in the wind power industry.

According to a report on Tuesday by the Europa Press news agency, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, the largest manufacturer of wind turbines, had to temporarily close its technology center in the city of San Fernando de Henares, near Madrid, after one of the Employees tested positive for the new coronavirus.

Company sources told Europa Press that the closure of the wind facility is a precautionary measure to reduce the risk of contagion.

The technology center, which tests and validates systems for the wind energy and photovoltaic (PV) industry, will open its doors after a 14-day quarantine and complete disinfection.

LM Wind Power, the manufacturer of GE Renewable Energy wind turbine blades, has two production facilities in Spain and both will be inactive for the next few weeks.

The LM Wind factory in Castellón will be closed until April 1 and the workers will have personal free time to which they are entitled. A source was quoted saying that this agreement ensures that neither the company nor the workers suffer the economic impact of the plant closure.

At the Ponferrada factory, the seven-day vacation has been delayed and the facilities will be closed until March 24. After that, the company will present a temporary layoff plan, known as ERTE in Spain, which invokes force majeure and uncertainty. about not knowing how long the state of emergency will last and the health risks for employees.

The spread of the disease by coronavirus COVID-19 has so far claimed 598 lives in Spain. As of March 18, there are 13,716 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country, according to the latest update from the Spanish Ministry of Health.