Abo Wind - Transition to renewable energies spurs wind power project developer

The political will to create a sustainable foundation for Europe’s energy supply, spurs the business of ABO Wind. The main focus of the company is project development of in-land wind farms. The annual net profit of ABO Wind AG has reached a new record value in 2011 with roughly 7.5 million euro – compared to 3.2 million euro in the previous year. The high revenues benefited from the low level of interest rates. The result of the entire group’s profit and loss account is also worth mentioning with around 4.2 million euro. In the business year 2010, due to a one-time-effect, the entire group’s profit had been even higher with roughly 6.9 million euro.

From an economic standpoint, the on-shore use of wind power is by far and large the most cost-efficient way of producing climate-friendly energy without the risks of radiation. Electricity produced through off-shore solar or wind power is significantly more expensive. Therefore, the core business of ABO Wind is the key technology for the transition to renewable energies. Particularly in the middle and south of Germany, where ABO Wind can draw on long-term co-operations and good credentials, the expansion of wind energy has considerably gained momentum during the past months.

Technological progress and political will shape business in Germany:
The rapid development of wind power technology enables the industry to profitably produce energy, even at locations with mediocre wind conditions. A single modern wind turbine with a hub height of 120 to 140 meters and a rotor diameter of around 100 meters, produces enough electricity to supply 1,500 average households. Many regions – also those far removed from the wind-rich coastal areas – in Germany have the potential to contribute towards climate protection and the transition to renewable energies, while at the same time strengthening the regional added value chain. More and more citizens and politicians are willing to make use of this potential and also tolerate a change of scenery.

Municipal utilities expand production capacities:
Growing even more rapidly than the number of projects, is the demand from investors who wish to oper-ate wind farms. More and more municipal utilities make use of the transition to renewable energies to build their own production capacities. The de-centralized and environmentally friendly wind farms offer utilities an image promoting and long-term sustainable investment. The market prices for professionally planned wind farms have stabilized on a high level.

ABO Wind further expands project development in Germany:
Already for roughly two years, Germany has been the engine behind the positive business development of ABO Wind. In this time frame, the company has tripled the number of employees who take care of planning, construction and grid connection for German wind farms to currently 46 colleagues. In total, ABO Wind today employs nearly 200 colleagues in Europe and Latin-America. In Germany, this growth will increase even more during the coming months: It is planned to open new offices in Hannover and Nuremberg and to expand the office in Berlin. The success of ABO Wind is based on advancing the ex-pansion of renewable energies through close co-operation between competent, reliable experts and local authorities. In order to do so, a strong regional presence is essential.

Largest wind farm in Ireland erected:
Over the course of last year, ABO Wind has brought wind farms with a nominal capacity of more than 100 megawatts online – among then, the largest project of company history in Irish Glenough (32.5 megawatts).

Positive signals from France / Light and Shadow in Spain / Premiere in Bulgaria:
The French business, which has been hampered through numerous objections over the past years, has been pleasantly developing during the past months. A 16 megawatts project in Lorraine is currently under construction and will be brought online this summer. More projects will follow short-term.
In Ireland, the construction of a 15 megawatt wind farm will also begin this year – the soon to be third Irish wind farm of ABO Wind will be commissioned in 2013.

In Great Britain, ABO Wind profited from bringing its first wind farm online in the Scottish Highlands in 2011. This success now helps in the acquisition of new projects. The Planning team in Edinburg has doubled in size within one year to currently six employees. For the year 2013 and following, the realiza-tion of more projects on the island is to be expected.

In Spain, ABO Wind has sold a 50 megawatt wind farm in 2011 to a local investor in Andalusia. He will now erect the project and make it operational within the year. Because the government, as of now, is not bringing any new regulations for a feed-in tariff into effect, the development of new projects in Spain is currently severely impeded.

Regulatory frameworks for the feed-in of electricity continue to remain missing in Argentina as well and as a result, the expansion of wind power is also suffering here. Due to excellent and favorable wind con-ditions, electricity, which the country desperately needs, could be produced with ease. ABO Wind has secured locations which would allow for several hundred megawatts to be erected, once the necessary framework conditions are created.

In Bulgaria, ABO Wind is currently erecting its first wind farm. The two 2 megawatt turbines in the south-eastern tail of the Balkan mountain range are close to being brought online.

First biogas plant with gas feed-in erected:
In the smaller business field of bio energy, ABO Wind for the first time in 2011 erected a biogas plant in Saxony-Anhalt which will feed into the natural gas grid. The technological implementation of the direct feed-in is still in the works, until then, the biogas produced will be transformed locally into energy and heat. The team, which was expanded to four colleagues, follows several interesting leads with the goal to erect more biogas plants on the basis of the renewable energy act, which was adjusted in 2011 and now rewards a higher percentage of manure and better efficiency.

Good perspectives for Germany and beyond:
After the 100 megawatts of wind power, which ABO Wind erected in 2011, more significant growth is to be expected for the current and throughout the coming years. In 2011 alone, ABO Wind acquired projects with a capacity of 600 megawatts throughout Europe – 250 megawatts of which in Germany. In total, the company currently works on European wind farms with more than 1,500 megawatts. In 2012, the corpo-rate-group will likely erected 140 megawatts. ABO Wind is prepared to help shape the transition to re-newable energies in Germany and beyond during the coming years. In recent years, it was possible to considerably strengthen competencies in all departments of the company. Based on this foundation, ABO Wind is capable to continue increasing the project volumes in the coming years and to expand its busi-ness to other countries. Preparations to do so have already begun.

Questions may be directed at:
ABO Wind, Alexander Koffka, Unter den Eichen 7, 65195 Wiesbaden,
Tel.: 06 11 / 2 67 65 – 515 , Fax: 06 11 / 2 67 65 – 599, alexander.koffka@abo-wind.de

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