Siemens Gamesa: to reopen idled U.S. plants due to demand pickup

FRANKFURT, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Wind turbine maker Siemens Gamesa will pull two production plants in the U.S. out of hibernation, its chief executive said on Thursday, adding that the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) had triggered a pick up in demand.

Siemens Gamesa last year said it was idling its blade manufacturing in Iowa and nacelle assembly in Kansas, also citing weak demand.

Chief Executive Jochen Eickholt, talking to analysts after presenting first-quarter results, said however that the IRA's focus on clean technologies had provided a jolt to discussions with clients in the U.S. market.

"In this context we already have taken the decision that the hibernation of our two manufacturing plants in the U.S., that this decision is reversed," Eickholt said. "We're about to reopen those factories earlier than anticipated because we see stronger demand in the U.S.," he said. (Reporting by Christoph Steitz, editing by Rachel More)