REpower 5MW: Successful offshore premiere (Wind Power)

REPower Press Release ^ | Hamburg/Nigg 08/24/06 | REPower

[alnitak]

Hamburg/Nigg 08/24/06

REpower 5M: Successful offshore premiere

• First erection of a REpower wind turbine on the open sea
• Erection of second turbine for the "Beatrice" project to follow shortly
  

Hamburg/Nigg, 24 August 2006. Successful offshore premiere for REpower Systems AG (Prime Standard, WKN 617703): For the first time, a REpower type 5M wind turbine has been set up on the open sea. In the Scottish North Sea, in the Moray Firth, the first of a total of two turbines for the "Beatrice" demonstrator wind farm has just been set up on a lattice-like jacket structure, piled to the seabed at a depth of 44 metres. Never before have wind turbines been set up in water this deep. Furthermore, it is currently the biggest turbine offshore. Prior to the installation, a floating crane barge carried the turbine with more than 900 tonnes on its hooks, 25 kilometres on the open sea from the port of Nigg. It is there that the two 5M wind turbines are shortly to be linked to the grid connection of the "Beatrice Alpha" oil rig and then commissioned.

The countdown has been running since July: the 5M nacelles, which were built in Bremerhaven, have been transported by cargo ship to the Scottish port of Nigg. One after the other, each of the 59 metre-high towers, nacelles and rotors for the turbines were assembled there. Parallel to this, the jacket structures were anchored with piles to the seabed. After the completion of the first 5M, it was necessary to wait for favourable weather conditions to minimise risks with the first installation in the North Sea.

"We are very proud that the offshore premiere has been successful", enthused REpower’s CEO Professor Fritz Vahrenholt. "The Beatrice Demonstrator Project for our customer Talisman Energy, to which we are the sole supplier of the turbines, is a giant step for the development of the 5M and offshore wind power. Much praise must go to our offshore team, who have done everything in their power to ensure that the first installation went smoothly."

The successful offshore installation is the current high point of REpower’s development, which began several years ago. On the basis of favourable conditions for wind power use at sea – wide space, high wind speeds and less turbulence than on land – REpower had commenced the development of a very powerful 5 megawatt turbine. The 5M prototype has been running since the end of 2004 in Brunsbüttel/Schleswig-Holstein.


The offshore wind turbine REpower 5M (rotor diameter: 126 m) after its successful erection in the Scottish North Sea

Online Press Service:
Following the quick link 5M goes offshore on our homepage, www.repower.de, you will find all the details on the construction of both 5M turbines for the Beatrice project, also in English. Photo material can be ordered free-of-charge at pr@repower.de, indicating its purpose, and with "REpower" retaining copyright.


Contact:
Daniela Puttenat/ Corporate Communications & Public Relations
Thomas Schnorrenberg/ Isabelle von Grone Investor Relations

[alnitak]

The REPower 5MW is the largest wind turbine in the world. It's not yet in commercial production, this is a technology demonstration / R&D project called "Beatrice".

They are erecting the turbines 25km out in the North Sea in the oil field. 25km is much, much further out than any existing wind farm, this is cutting edge stuff.

More Pics from RePower

DOWNVInD Project (Distant Offshore Windfarms with No Visual Impact in Deepwater)

A press link on the future possible Moray Firth wind farm

[alnitak]

Ping, since you're up :-)

[alnitak]

One of the turbines being floated out of the Moray Firth on Sunday

[Uncledave]

Renewable Energy Ping

Please Freep Mail me if you'd like on/off

[DungeonMaster]

This is a very exciting project. I've been following it for quite a while. It seems that many companies are putting off their offshore giant machine designs due to the risk. Even Vestas has delayed their 4.5mw for who knows how long. Have you noticed that Enercon has dropped their E-112 from their home page. They were going to upgrade it to an E-126 6mw but so far I haven't seen anything about it.

[Uncledave]

This is a stock you wished you'd have bought

[alnitak]

If anybody is interested in what is *in* a modern wind turbine, this PDF brochure for the REpower 5M gives a good overview.

[alnitak]

Yes, I know :-( These guys aren't doing so bad either considering they are yet to ship a turbine commercially.

Apparently they have just signed some big deals with BP.

I am seriously considering making some investments in wind-power companies. I may have missed the recent rises but if the projections of 150GW installed base by 2010 come about there is still a lot of upside. A pity it's not possible to make a pure-wind play on GE (as far as I know).

[N3WBI3]

Just a stupid question whats the output from this thing??

[alnitak]

5MW per turbine.

[B-Chan]

The countdown has been running since July: the 5M nacelles, which were built in Bremerhaven, have been transported by cargo ship to the Scottish port of Nigg

In a related story, the name of the port city will be changed to "African-American" out of concern for racial sensitivity issues.

[saganite]

Wow! Only a thousand of these things then you've got a fair sized power plant up and running. Course you'll still need that backup gas powered plant for the times the wind doesn't blow.

[DTogo]

5MW, 126m rotor diameter, and 90~100m hub height offshore. WOW!!

[BookaT]

Cheers on the successful erection!

[sten]

question... with an average 15 mph wind, how much energy would such a device create, on average, per month?

[BJClinton]

Can you say seagull puree?

How much does this bad boy cost to install? I bet the 5MW is reasonably consistent from what I've heard of North Sea winds, but can it handle the monster storms out there?

[timer]

The ocean is some 200 times more massive than the atmosphere, water is 770 times as dense as air, what flow energies are available in deep ocean currents? It is reported by deep sea divers that even a .5 knot current feels like a hurricane down there. Also, do you know about DSRO?