Nordex obtains first major order from the Baltic region

Nordex has succeeded in penetrating the Estonian market with an order worth some EUR 20 mn. The Estonian project development company Pakri Tuulepark, a 100% subsidiary of the Norwegian energy utility Vardar, has ordered eight large turbines of the type N90/2,300 kW from Nordex for the "Pakri" wind farm. This project was originally initiated by the Danish developer Global Green Energy. Nordex is to connect the turbines to the grid in Estonia on a turnkey basis by the end of December 2004. In addition to this, the wind farm is to be equipped with a mobile "power crane", which Nordex has developed for offshore wind farms. With the aid of this crane system all the main components of the machine can be replaced should this become necessary for service purposes.

The wind farm is located on the Paldiski Peninsula on the Gulf of Finland, which was a closed military zone of the Soviet army until 1994. In the future the wind power plant is intended to cover part of the regional energy demand after the nuclear power station on the military base has been dismantled. The projected annual yield of the wind farm after precautionary discounts is expected to be 56,000 MWh. This corresponds to around one per cent of national electricity consumption. This yield projection is based on intensive wind measurements, which after 42 months showed an average wind speed of 8.0 m/s at a hub height of 80 metres.

The Pakri wind farm is implemented as a joint implementation project under the Kyoto Protocol which forsees the sale of 500,000 tonnes of reduced greenhouse gas emissions to the Finnish Republic. It is among the very first wind power projects of its kind in the world where the income from the sales of carbon credits guarantees the economic feasibility of the project. Overall, the project will result in the avoidance of emissions totaling 1,300,000 tonnes of CO2. Furthermore, the project is supported by the 5th Framework Programme of the European Commission, which promotes, among other projects, the deployment of large scale wind turbines in areas with poor infrastructure.

"With this reference project we will be creating a good starting base for further Nordex projects in the region. By 2010, the Estonian government plans to cover 5.1 per cent of electricity consumption using renewable sources", explains Carsten Pedersen, Sales Director of Nordex AG.