German wind turbine manufacturer REpower Systems A.G. and wind project developer Denker & Wulf A.G. will build a 74.8-megawatt wind farm in the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state.
The Hohen Luckow wind project to the southwest of Rostock, the largest city in the German state, will comprise 22 units of REpower’s 3.4-MW wind turbines.
REpower Systems said this is the first large-scale project to host this turbine type, which is 128-meters tall and includes a concrete-and-steel hybrid tower. Construction will start around June to August 2012.
The company said its new turbine version is more efficient in locations with low wind speeds and produces higher output at inland sites. REpower will service and maintain the project for 15 years.
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“This order is a huge success for REpower’s operations in Germany. The recent opening of our German subsidiary signaled our intention to further strengthen our position on the domestic market,” said Jens Müller-Nielsen, managing director of REpower Systems G.m.b.H.
REpower Systems G.m.b.H., a fully owned subsidiary, will service REpower’s core markets, Germany and Austria, from this month onwards.
The German wind market saw 15 percent growth in 2009 with the installation of 958 wind turbines with a total capacity of 1,900 megawatts. Germany leads the European wind market with over 25.7 gigawatts of aggregate installed wind capacity as of 2009.
Wind power is currently the largest contributor to Germany’s renewable energy mix, supplying 17 percent of its electricity needs.
By 2010, Germany expects to realize 2.3 GW of new wind power installations, including 300 MW of offshore wind. The country could have 45 GW of onshore capacity and 10 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2020, as projected by the German Wind Energy Association.
Since 2001, turbine maker REpower has erected 960 wind turbines in Germany with over 1.6 GW capacity.
In June 2009, Indian wind company Suzlon acquired a 90 percent stake in REpower from Portugal-based multinational Martifer Group for 175.2 million euros (about $240 million).
Denker & Wulf, one of Germany’s top wind players, has a portfolio of 730 MW installed wind energy.
