Welcome to the future of wind energy: Siemens Gamesa to deploy powerful next generation platform in Sweden by 2021

Siemens Gamesa is launching a new era for wind power with a deal to supply the most powerful geared onshore wind turbine ever, the SG 5.8-155 wind turbine. The first of the 35 units, all with flexible power rating operating at 6.6 MW, will be installed in the second quarter of 2021 in the Skaftåsen project in Sweden, the first in the world to feature the Siemens Gamesa 5.X platform.

Project developer Arise AB and leading infrastructure investment manager Foresight Group LLP (“Foresight”) have chosen this latest generation of onshore turbines due to its strong performance and advanced design, combining reliability with maximum Annual Energy Production (AEP) for the lowest LCoE. With a 30-year full-service agreement, this new generation of onshore wind turbines will generate predictable revenue streams over its lifecycle, improving the business case of the project.

The 231 MW order marks the debut of the Siemens Gamesa 5.X platform, only months after its presentation in April 2019, during WindEurope Bilbao trade fair. It reinforces the company’s leading position in the Swedish market, one of the most dynamic in Europe. Additionally, the debut of the Siemens Gamesa 5.X in one of the world’s most sophisticated wind markets highlights the superior performance of a platform developed by an engineering team bringing together the best technologies for use in a wide range of markets and requirements.

Siemens Gamesa 5.X goes one step further to become the new generation platform with the biggest unitary power on the market and the largest rotor diameters, 155 and 170 meters, resulting in maximum performance in high-, medium and low-wind conditions. Both turbines mean greater AEP per wind turbine and optimized project CAPEX. This is also due to improved versatility, with a modular, flexible design for maximum ease of logistics, construction and O&M, as well as reducing the OPEX, which results in a lower cost of energy for projects.

“Our vision has been to create the most competitive onshore product for any site condition and requirements. We can increase the operating rating power or adapt the Siemens Gamesa 5.X to low temperature conditions - and we have designed it with two rotor variants and carbon caps on blades. We are pushing the boundaries of onshore wind power with this platform, which offers the largest AEP in the onshore segment. And we are very pleased to partner up with pioneering companies such as Arise and Foresight who are willing to take wind power to the next level with us,” says Alfonso Faubel, Siemens Gamesa’s Onshore Business Unit CEO.

To adapt successfully to temperatures that can reach -15º C in Fågelsjö, where the turbines will be installed, they will be delivered in the cold climate version of the platform, capable of withstanding -40°C and operating at temperatures as low as -30°C. The turbines will feature the STC, a turbine control software system also used for Siemens Gamesa offshore products, meaning that all enhancements can be transferred, facilitating the work of the service technicians.

The project was developed by Arise AB, one of Sweden’s leading developers. The project has been acquired by funds managed by Foresight, a leading UK-based renewable energy infrastructure investor.

“We are very happy to introduce not only a significant new investor in the shape of leading independent infrastructure investment manager Foresight to the Swedish wind market, but also cutting-edge new technology provided by Siemens Gamesa. To launch this new technology on the Nordic market together with Siemens Gamesa and Foresight represents a landmark event for us. This great project is founded on strong relationships and collaboration from start to finish, and we look forward to realising this exciting project together with these renowned partners”, says Daniel Johansson, CEO of Arise AB.

“We are very pleased to announce our first greenfield onshore wind investment in Sweden. As a leading international infrastructure investor, Foresight is delighted to be partnering with an experienced developer in Arise and also to be deploying the latest innovations in onshore wind technology with Siemens Gamesa. The Skaftåsen project will make a valuable contribution to renewable energy production and carbon reduction targets in Sweden, and also make a material contribution to the local community via the annual community contribution payment which fits perfectly with our ESG focused investment criteria,“ adds Daniel Cambridge, Senior Investment Manager at Foresight.