core sector communique

REpower and RWE Innogy sign contract for about 295 MW for offshore wind farm off Helgoland

First supplies under the framework agreement concluded in February 2009

Delivery of 48 turbines of the REpower 6M type, each with a rated output of 6.15 MW

“Nordsee Ost” wind farm to be built from 2011 to 2013 

Hamburg/Essen, 1 February 2010. REpower Systems AG (WKN 617703) and the RWE project company for “Nordsee Ost” have concluded a contract on the delivery of 48 offshore wind turbines. The turbines of the type REpower 6M are based on the proven technology of the 5M range, have a total capacity of approx. 295 megawatts and are intended for the “Nordsee Ost” offshore wind farm, due to be built in the German Bight between 2011 and 2013. The first wind turbines should start running mid year 2012. The wind farm will be situated about 22 miles (35 km) north of the island of Helgoland, at a depth of 22 to 25 meters.

“Nordsee Ost” is the first project under the framework agreement concluded between REpower and RWE Innogy in February 2009 – one of the biggest in the history of the wind power sector – for the delivery of up to 250 offshore turbines of the type REpower 5M/6M. REpower will supply the nacelles and hubs after manufacturing the same at the company's offshore production facility in Bremerhaven as well as the rotor blades and towers for the project. REpower will also be responsible for the start-up of the wind farm and for servicing. “Nordsee Ost” will be co-funded by the European Commission under the EEPR-program.

Paul Coffey, Member of the Management Board at RWE Innogy, says: "With “Nordsee Ost” we are realizing a German offshore project that has already received all the required permits. The framework agreement with REpower gives us the flexibility to change our original plans and to start installation somewhat earlier, before we receive planning permission for our second German North Sea Project, Innogy Nordsee 1. We'll be investing about a billion Euros in “Nordsee Ost”. We've already gathered some positive initial operational experience with the REpower 5M turbines at our Belgian offshore project Thornton Bank." 

Per Hornung Pedersen, Chief Executive Officer of REpower Systems AG, adds: "Today we are pleased to announce the first project under the framework agreement with RWE Innogy. Meanwhile REpower has become one of the few manufacturers with several years of experience in the installation of offshore wind farms in Europe – so far in Scotland, Belgium and Germany."
Matthias Schubert, as CTO of REpower also responsible for the company’s offshore operations, says: "We already showed in 2006, with our first offshore project Beatrice, 16 miles (25 km) off the Scottish coast, that we can set up turbines at a depth of 44 meters. Beatrice is currently the northernmost and deepest offshore wind farm in the world. And quite recently we successfully installed the first German offshore wind farm alpha ventus – partly under rather difficult weather conditions – with six REpower 5M turbines. By this, we have built up the learning
curve for our offshore activities very systematically. We are pleased to be realizing one of the first major North Sea projects off the German coast for RWE Innogy. With a rated capacity of respectively 5 and 6.15 megawatts, and a rotor diameter of 126 meters, the 5M and 6M are among the biggest and most powerful wind turbines in the world. Since 2004 REpower has set up a total of 26 5Ms and 6Ms both onshore and offshore.