Siemens Receives Second Order for Direct Drive Wind Turbines in the U.S.


Siemens Energy will supply 15 of its SWT-3.0-101 direct drive wind turbines for Minnesota Power's Bison 1 wind power plant near Center, North Dakota. Minnesota Power modified its original order, replacing 33 Siemens SWT-2.3-101 geared wind turbines to now include 16 2.3-MW SWT-2.3-101 and 15 innovative 3-MW SWT-3.0-101 direct drive machines.

"With the SWT-3.0-101 direct drive wind turbine, our customers like Minnesota Power get an innovative and high-quality product from a partner whom they can trust. This game-changing wind turbine is a reliable investment in the future of power generation," said Jens-Peter Saul, CEO of the Siemens Wind Power Business Unit. This order from Minnesota Power is the second order for Siemens direct drive wind turbines in the U.S. Oklahoma Gas & Electric (OG&E) purchased three SWT-3.0-101 wind turbines for the Crossroads wind power plant in August 2010.

The scope of supply for the Bison 1B wind power plant includes the transportation, erection and commissioning of the 15 direct drive wind turbines. Minnesota Power had originally ordered 33 SWT-2.3-101 wind turbines for the two phases of the Bison 1 plant, Bison 1A and 1B. The 16 SWT-2.3-101 wind turbines at Bison 1A are presently being installed and the 15 SWT-3.0-101 direct drive wind turbines for Bison 1B will be delivered in August 2011.

"We're very excited to apply this leading-edge direct drive technology to capture more of the already superior North Dakota wind resources," said Eric Norberg, Minnesota Power Senior Vice President of Strategy and Planning. "Our customers will benefit from the additional energy production for many years. We're pleased to partner with Siemens in this leading application of the direct drive turbine in North America."

The SWT-3.0-101 direct drive wind turbine with a rated power of 3 MW and a rotor diameter of 101 meters offers innovation through a completely new direct drive concept, introducing a permanent magnet generator. Compared to a standard wind turbine with gearboxes, Siemens has reduced the number of parts in the turbine by half. With fewer moving parts, the direct drive technology has the potential to significantly reduce maintenance time, which could result in even higher turbine availability.

Wind power is part of Siemens' Environmental Portfolio. In fiscal 2010, revenue from the Portfolio totaled about Euros28 billion, making Siemens the world's largest supplier of ecofriendly technologies. In the same period, our products and solutions enabled customers to reduce their carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 270 million tons, an amount equal to the total annual CO2 emissions of the megacities Hong Kong, London, New York, Tokyo, Delhi and Singapore.

The Siemens Energy Sector is the world's leading supplier of a complete spectrum of products, services and solutions for the generation, transmission and distribution of power and for the extraction, conversion and transport of oil and gas. In fiscal 2010 (ended September 30), the Energy Sector had revenues of approximately EUR25.5 billion and received new orders totaling more than EUR30.1 billion and posted a profit of more than EUR3.6 billion. On September 30, 2010, the Energy Sector had a work force of more than 88,000. Further information is available at: http://www.siemens.com/energy.

Siemens AG
Corporate Communications and Government Affairs
Wittelsbacherplatz 2, 80333 Munich
Germany

Media Relations: Eva-Maria Baumann
Telephone: +49 9131 18-3700
E-mail: eva-maria.baumann@siemens.com

Siemens AG
Energy Sector - Renewable Energy Division
Freyeslebenstr. 1, 91058 Erlangen, Germany

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