Vestas recently announced that it would layoff 10% of its workforce, with the loss of some 2,335 jobs around the world, as part of a restructuring to cut costs by EUR150m. In Brazil, however, the company is expanding and is employing new staff.

Vestas is understood to be taking on new workers at Sebrae, in the Fortaleza region, in the Brazilian State of Ceará, for its nacelle plant. The Vestas nacelle manufacturing plant at Maracanaú, Ceará, its first in Latin America, was completed in October last year and will enter into commercial operation in May 2012, reaching full capacity production in July. It is already assembling turbines for deployment at wind energy projects around Brazil.

The new employees will be expected to participate in a three month training course at the Vestas plant in Colorado, in the US, before the Ceará factory comes online in May.

The Maracanaú facilitiy will have the capacity to produce 400 nacelles annually and it has the potential for further expansion in the future. Vestas is also understood to be considering expanding its business in Brazil to include the manufacture of towers and blades - and is already assessing suitable locations, having confirmed that Brazil is an important focus for the company.

Vestas has around 20,000 employees around the world, of which 5,300 are in Denmark.