GE's Advanced 2.5-Megawatt Wind Turbine to Power Germania Wind Project Expansion
First Full Service Agreement in Germany Has Been Signed
SALZBERGEN, GERMANY- GE (NYSE: GE) announced today that Germania Windpark GmbH & Co. KG, one of Germany's leading wind power developers, has selected GE's advanced wind turbine technology for the expansion of a wind farm near Magdeburg in central Germany.
GE is supplying three 2.5-megawatt wind turbines for the expansion of the wind farm Groß-Santersleben Süd, where eight GE 1.5-megawatt wind turbines are already operating. The expansion will add 7.5 megawatts of clean, wind-generated electricity.
"The Groß-Santersleben Süd wind park expansion builds on a long-term relationship that we have with GE's wind business," said Markus Tacke, managing director of Germania Windpark. "Many of our previous projects with GE have featured 1.5-megawatt wind turbines, so this expansion will be the first project to implement GE's advanced 2.5-megawatt machines."
GE and Germania Windpark also have signed a full service agreement (FSA) covering the new wind turbines. GE's FSAs are designed to provide wind turbine owners with total support for all of their planned and unplanned maintenance and operational needs. The new service agreement has just been introduced this year by GE.
"GE´s full service agreement was an important requirement for our decision and we appreciate GE´s flexibility on this contract", said Willi Rauße, managing director of Winvest Finanzierungsservice.
The 2.5-megawatt series platform represents GE's most advanced wind turbine technology in terms of efficiency, reliability and grid connection capabilities. The 2.5-megawatt platform is designed to yield the highest annual energy production in its class and builds on the success of GE's 1.5-megawatt wind turbine, the world's most widely deployed wind turbine with 14.000 units now installed.
"Customers in 19 different European countries have chosen GE's 2.5-megawatt series technology and Germania has now joined that group," said Stephan Ritter, general manager-wind, Europe for GE Power & Water. "GE is the industry leader in terms of wind turbine installations that use rotors that are 100 meters and longer. Germania's project will benefit from our experience, and we are pleased to be partnering with them."
GE's wind business operates a wind turbine manufacturing facility in Salzbergen. In addition, GE's wind operations in Germany and across Europe are supported by the GE Global Research Center in Munich, where GE researchers and engineers are focused on increasing the reliability and performance of wind turbines.
About Germania Windpark GmbH & Co. KG and Winvest Finanzierungsservice GmbH & Co.
Germania was founded in 1993 as one of the first companies dealing in the professional development of turnkey wind parks in Germany. Winvest Finanzierungsservice GmbH & Co. followed in 1995 and is responsible for financing and marketing of all developed projects.
Between the establishment of the company and the present day, 51 projects with 243 wind turbines and a rated output of around 267 megawatts have been planned. The majority of these projects have been established and commissioned as turnkey solutions, with two projects (66.7 MW) currently in construction and due for commissioning shortly.
Germania's service offerings range from site acquisition to complete project planning, including the overall infrastructure and implementation of all approvals, through to financing and capital procurement and, after commissioning, supporting the projects by undertaking commercial and technical plant management.
In addition to the development of wind parks in Germany, the company's strategy also includes expansion work with the aim of long-term success in emerging and future markets in other European countries. Thus, with a total of 14 companies the group is committed to 9 European markets, predominantly focussing on the development of wind power. At present, projects with a total output of over 100 MW are being developed across Europe.
About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) is a diversified infrastructure, finance and media company taking on the world's toughest challenges. From aircraft engines and power generation to financial services, health care solutions and television programming, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's website at www.ge.com.
GE serves the energy sector by developing and deploying technology that helps make efficient use of natural resources. With nearly 85,000 global employees and 2009 revenues of $37 billion, GE Energy www.ge.com/energy is one of the world's leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technologies. The businesses that comprise GE Energy-GE Power & Water, GE Energy Services and GE Oil & Gas-work together to provide integrated product and service solutions in all areas of the energy industry including coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy; renewable resources such as water, wind, solar and biogas; and other alternative fuels.
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