core sector communique

REpower signs contract for 332 MW German offshore project

                 

Delivery of 54 offshore wind turbines to PNE project Gode Wind I

Biggest-ever offshore project with REpower turbines

Hamburg, 27 March 2012. REpower Systems SE has signed a contract with PNE WIND AG to deliver 54 offshore wind turbines. The 6M turbines, each with 6,150 kW of rated power, are intended for the Gode Wind I wind farm. The project is based in the German North Sea, around 35 km north of the East Frisian Islands in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Germany. This is the biggest-ever offshore project with REpower turbines and one of the world’s biggest open-sea projects with turbines in the multi-megawatt class.

The wind turbines are set to be installed and commissioned in 2015. At the Gode Wind I site, the water is between 28 and 34 metres deep. Andreas Nauen, CEO of REpower Systems SE, stated: “We are delighted that PNE, one of the most successful German developers, is placing its trust in our 6M. PNE is also one of the first developers in Germany to switch to multi-megawatt turbines with an output in excess of 5 MW. This is a real breakthrough, particularly for the numerous future projects in even deeper water.”

Frank Zimmermann, head of the Offshore business unit at REpower, added: “REpower has many years of experience in delivering and commissioning offshore turbines. With Gode Wind I, we are taking the next step and assuming responsibility for other aspects including the entire port and ship operations during the construction phase for our turbines.” 

Thorsten Fastenau, Vice President Offshore at PNE WIND AG: “Both REpower and PNE WIND have since built up extensive experience in the offshore sector. This is why Gode Wind I is developed to an extent that allowed us to submit the documents for the necessary consent for mains connection to grid operator TenneT following the speedy conclusion of the contract – because in addition to the supply contract agreements regarding the transformer station, the foundations and the wind farm’s internal cabling are already complete.”

The REpower 6M to date is the most powerful wind turbine ever to be installed on the high seas anywhere in the world. The turbine is produced in Bremerhaven. From there, the components can be transported directly to their destination on the high seas. In 2009, three prototypes of the REpower 6M were installed onshore at the Ellhöft wind farm, near the German-Danish border. The first turbines installed offshore were recently erected in the Belgian Thornton Bank wind project. REpower has already sold 150 of this type of turbine, including Gode Wind.

With 6,150 kW of rated power, an individual turbine installed offshore can supply more than 6,000 households with electricity. As it has 332 megawatts of rated power, the Gode Wind I wind farm will therefore provide power to at least 324,000 households.

About REpower:

REpower Systems SE, a wholly owned subsidiary within Suzlon group, is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of onshore and offshore wind turbines. The international mechanical engineering company develops, produces and markets wind turbines for almost any location – with rated outputs of 1.8 MW to 6.15 MW and rotor diameters of 82 metres to 126 metres. Furthermore, the company offers its customers project specific solutions in the areas turnkey, service and maintenance, transport and installation, as well as foundation planning and construction. The profitable and reliable systems are designed at the REpower TechCenter in Osterrönfeld and manufactured at its plants in Husum (North Friesland), Trampe (Brandenburg) and Bremerhaven as well as Portugal and China.

With just under 2,700 employees worldwide the company headquartered in Hamburg can make use of the experience gained from the manufacture and installation of around 3,600 wind turbines around the world. REpower is represented by distribution partners, subsidiaries and participations in European markets such as France, Belgium, the UK, Italy, Portugal, Sweden, Poland and Spain as well as on a global level in the USA, China, Australia and Canada. 

About PNE WIND AG:

With its headquarters in Cuxhaven, PNE WIND AG plans and realises wind farm projects on land (onshore) and on the high seas (offshore). In doing so, its core competence lies in the development, project planning, and financing of wind farms and in their operation and sales respectively with the provision of subsequent service. To date, the company has constructed 98 wind farms with 568 wind energy plants and a total nominal output of 814 MW.

In addition to its business activities in the established German home market, PNE WIND AG is increasingly expanding into dynamic growth markets and is already represented in joint ventures and by subsidiary companies in Hungary, Bulgaria, Turkey, Great Britain, Rumania, USA and Canada. In these countries wind farm projects with a nominal output of up to 2,086 MW are being developed and are to be completed in the medium term. In Germany (onshore), wind farm projects with over 1,100 MW of nominal output are currently being developed.

In addition, PNE WIND AG is developing offshore wind farm projects, of which four major projects in German waters have already been approved. An entry into promising foreign markets is also being examined with regard to the offshore sector.