Germany: Areva Delivers 20 M5000 Turbines to Borkum Offshore Wind Park

AREVA announces the delivery of 20 M5000 turbines, out of a total of 40, to be installed in Trianel’s Borkum offshore wind park located in the German North Sea.

The Borkum wind farm, situated 45 km away from the northern coast of the Borkum Island, is currently under construction close to “alpha ventus”, the first German offshore park where AREVA M5000 turbines have been in operation since 2009. The DOTI consortium, formed by EWE, EON and Vattenfall, recently announced a 2011 electricity production output on alpha ventus exceeding by 15% the projected results.

The 20 AREVA nacelles and blades were manufactured in the group’s plants located in Bremerhaven and Stade in the North of Germany. They were all tested under full load conditions on AREVA’s unique test bench, as all the M5000 delivered hence force: a new quality standard for serial production. Under the terms of the agreement with Trianel, AREVA will also provide turbine commissioning and maintenance services.

Trianel, the largest European municipal utility cooperation plans the commercial operation of the Borkum wind farm for 2012/13, while installation should start in 2012.

With a rated power of 5 MW, AREVA’s M5000 wind turbine is very popular on the German market. By the end of 2014, more than 120 AREVA M5000 will be provided for major wind farms off the coast of Germany, reinforcing the group’s strong industrial position.

Furthermore, in France the group is bidding on all five sites chosen under the first round of the offshore wind call for tender. When these projects come to fruition, AREVA will already have garnered unique feedback, enabling it to contribute to the development of the wind industry in France at best conditions.

Thanks to its ambitious industrial plan, AREVA is already in a position to qualify French suppliers and to involve them today in large-scale offshore wind farm projects. Future French teams will be able to gain experience working on projects in Germany, and provide support during the essential phase of turbines’ serial production.

Louis-François Durret, CEO of AREVA Renewables, underlines: “With a triedand-tested product, the trust of customers and a true culture of quality, AREVA has all the assets required to position itself at the forefront of a high-quality French offshore wind industry. At present in Germany and tomorrow in France and the United Kingdom, AREVA is engaged in large-scale offshore wind farm projects that will consolidate its position within the leading trio of European countries”.

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Offshore WIND staff, March 14, 2012; Image: areva