Senvion issued notice to deliver 126 MW in South Australia

Senvion, a leading global manufacturer of wind turbines, has been issued notice to proceed under a contract to install the first 35 turbines of the 59-turbine Lincoln Gap wind farm in South Australia.

The Lincoln Gap wind farm will feature the Senvion 3.6M140 EBC turbine, which will be the first from Senvion's three-megawatt range to be installed in Australia. Senvion first announced it had a conditional contract in place to deliver over 300 megawatts (MW) of wind energy for Nexif Energy for the Lincoln Gap wind farm in South Australia and the Glen Innes wind farm in New South Wales in February 2017.

Raymond Gilfedder, CEO and Managing Director of Senvion Australia said: "This effective contract for the installation of the first 35 turbines at the Lincoln Gap wind farm is a significant milestone for Senvion. It also marks the introduction of the Senvion 3.6M140 turbine to Australia. This technology is very well suited to the Australian market, and will ensure that the wind farm will continue to be a high performing asset for the coming decades."

The Senvion 3.6M140 EBC turbine is one of Senvion's biggest onshore turbines designed for moderate and strong wind speeds. The new turbine is equipped with the innovative load-reducing pitch control system Eco Blade Control (EBC) technology enabling optimized load management even in challenging wind conditions. The 3.6M140 EBC also features a newly designed steel tower and a larger rotor diameter of 140 meters, which generates high yields even at lower wind speeds. The rotor blades feature the new Rodpack technology ensuring a lighter blade design. The first prototype installation of the 3.6M140 EBC was completed in Husum, Germany, in September this year.

The Lincoln Gap wind farm is located near Port Augusta, South Australia. The first 35 turbines installed will deliver 126 megawatts of clean, renewable energy to Australian consumers. This stage of the project will be operational by the third quarter of 2018. Work is already well advanced on the early works for the remaining 24 turbines comprising the second phase of the Lincoln Gap development. When complete, the Lincoln Gap wind farm will produce enough energy to power 155,000 households in South Australia. The Clean Energy Finance Corporation is the financier for the project, and Nexif Energy is providing the equity. Senvion worked closely with Nexif Energy to support achievement of financial close.

Srinivas Rao, Executive Vice President Projects and Operations of Nexif Energy said: "We are pleased to be working with Senvion on our first wind project in Australia and we appreciate the support of Senvion in the development of local industry and community engagement strategies."

Zeki Akbas, CEO of Nexif Energy's Australian business said: "Senvion has been a valuable partner in the progression of the Lincoln Gap wind farm through development, and has provided valuable support as we worked to optimize the contracting program."