Project developers making Europe-wide plans - New wind farm projects to be presented at WindEnergy 2004

Internationalisation is a reality for project developers. Most of the engineering and project consultants have already taken their first steps into export markets. In many cases they are launching joint ventures with locally based wind companies for new wind farm projects – over 40% of them see that as the most promising route for realisation of international projects. That is confirmed by the WindEnergy Study 2004, presented recently by Hamburg Messe in the run-up to the wind industry’s premier international event. The trade fair is to be held in Hamburg from 11 to 14 May 2004. More than 250 exhibitors are expected.

One of the key areas at the WindEnergy will be financial service providers, project developers and interest holding companies, which will be presenting themselves and their international projects at the Hamburg trade fair. There are special tours of the fair planned for visitors interested in wind farm investment. There will also be a high-calibre discussion panel to examine the opportunities and risks of investments in wind energy. The WindEnergy will also have longer hours on its third day (Thursday 13 May 2004), when it stays open until 8pm. That will give potential investors a chance to get comprehensive information on investment and equity holding models.

The increasing activity of project developers in European markets is also shown by the numerous projects currently in progress – the “German-Spanish” project development company EBV (based in Oldenburg and acquired by the Spanish wind turbine manufacturer Gamesa last autumn) will be extending its activities to Austria and Switzerland. EBV expects to bring up to 80 megawatts (MW) of wind power on stream in Germany before the end of the year. EBV and Gamesa are looking forward to anniversary celebrations in September 2004 – when each of them can look back on ten years of business activity. “Maybe by then the first megawatt turbine from Pamplona will be turning in Germany” announces press officer Mechthild Himmelreich. By 2008, Gamesa wants to have constructed and sold wind farms with a total output of some 420 MW in Germany.

WPD AG, Bremen, is another company that reports increasing growth in international investor business and entry into wind farm management in Germany, for example taking on technical operation; this year they want to construct wind farms with an output of some 150 MW. In Spain, they are expecting to get approval in spring for a 64.5 MW wind farm with 43 turbines in the Castilla y Leon region. In France, they have set up a joint venture with a 50% share, and are working hard to gain orders there, as they are in Italy. For their offshore projects, WPD are expecting the first approvals by autumn this year – for “Kriegers Flak” with 75 wind turbines, and “Baltic I” with 21 wind turbines. “That means we can expect to start our projects next year”, says press spokesman Christian Schnibbe. “Our planned North Sea projects ‘Hochseewindpark Nordsee’ with 508 turbines and ‘He dreiht’ with 119 turbines will take us to completely new dimensions as intended, for example with more than 500 turbines of the 4.5 MW class.”

Another company that has gained its first offshore licence is Energiekontor AG, which is likewise exhibiting at WindEnergy. They have a UK wind farm project “Forest more” to be constructed starting in April, and to be marketed as an equity holding project, comprising three 900 kW NEG Micon NM 54/900 turbines. “In Portugal we are building our 10.4 MW wind farm Marao this year, with eight Izar-Bonus 1.3 MW turbines, and our 13 MW wind farm Penedo Ruivo”, reports European project manager Volker Theilen. “We also have a third project on Monte Muro – like our other wind farms, it is about 100 kilometres from Porto – where it is highly probable that the first of a total of eight turbines will be erected this year”. All projects are expected to be marketed in Europe as equity funds.

Idaswind GmbH also intends to build international contacts at WindEnergy – this engineering bureau is currently developing a 1.5 MW turbine without a gearbox and a 2 MW turbine with gearbox and rotor diameter 80 metres for the Indian manufacturer Suzlon. The latter is to be erected before the end of this year on the subcontinent. Idaswind is seeking more contacts at WindEnergy 2004 with Asian and South American companies that wish to enter the market as new manufacturers, and need technical know-how in order to do so. “We have already received interesting inquiries from China and Taiwan”, says Idaswind Managing Director Klaus Würthele.

“Engineering services for all wind energy needs” are also available from WindForce GmbH, Bremerhaven. Their range of services includes “design, research and development for turbine manufacturers and other companies wishing to enter this market. WindForce with its Managing Directors Jens-Thomas Wernicke und Jody Shadden are already involved in planning offshore wind farms in the United Kingdom. They deliberately selected the port city of Bremerhaven as their “offshore competence centre” with proximity to other relevant companies.

WKN Windkraft Nord AG from Husum, likewise an exhibitor at WindEnergy, put 45.75 MW on stream in Germany last year, and expects almost to double this to 80 MW this year, without even including its foreign and offshore business. EnerSys GmbH is another Hamburg exhibitor expecting to exceed its record-breaking figures of 2002 and 2003 and install 60 MW of new output in Germany. This project developer, based in Bietigheim-Bissingen in the Land of Baden-Württemberg, is expecting the first approvals for its projects in Croatia and France before the end of this year.

WindEnergy 2004 will be held from Tuesday 11 May to Friday 14 May. The opening times are 9am to 6pm, with extended opening up to 8pm on the Thursday. The international trade fair offers manufacturers and component suppliers for wind turbines, and planners, finance institutes, measurement and certification bodies and specialists from research and development an international platform for further expansion of this market of the future. The official international partners of WindEnergy are the EWEA, VDMA and DEWI, and at international level AWEA and InWEA.