Nordergründe offshore wind farm: REpower and Energiekontor sign contract for 90 MW

Hamburg, 9 April 2008. REpower Systems AG (WKN 617703) and Energiekontor have signed a contract to supply 18 REpower 5M offshore wind energy turbines – each with a rated power of five megawatts (MW) – for the “Nordergründe” offshore wind farm. The total rated power will be 90 MW. The wind farm project is to be carried out within the 12 nautical mile zone at the mouth of the River Weser, north of Wilhelmshaven.

In December of last year, REpower and Energiekontor signed an agreement – a Letter of Intent (LoI) – for this project. The 18 offshore turbines will be manufactured in the new REpower assembly factory in Bremerhaven, due for completion this summer. They are scheduled to be supplied between April and June next year, and installed at sea in the spring/summer of 2009.

The Nordergründe site has excellent wind conditions, recording an average wind speed of approximately 9.8m/s at a hub height of 90m. The investment volume – including foundation, the offshore voltage transformation station and cabling for the farm – is over EUR 300 million. Nordergründe will be one of the first offshore projects in Germany, as well as the first offshore project with 5 MW turbines in German waters to be funded by banks.

After the contract was signed, CEO of REpower Systems AG, Per Hornung Pedersen, made the following statement: “As a manufacturer, REpower has been dedicated to the expansion of German offshore wind energy from the outset.” Chief Technology Officer at REpower, Matthias Schubert, says: “We are pleased that Energiekontor has faith in our offshore technology.”