Market and industry updates, WW200905
Market and industry updates
19.05.2009
All the latest news on the wind energy market.
China
Wind power capacity may increase by 10,000MW in 2009
The Global Wind Energy Council has said that around 10,000 MW of wind power capacity may be installed this year in China. The global installed capacity now stands at 120,000 MW - some 27,000 MW were added in 2008. According to GWEC, China, which currently has less than 50% of the US' 25,000 MW, has been doubling its capacity annually since 2005, which means it could soon overtake the US as the largest market globally.
Czech Republic
Wind power capacity to grow by 14 MW in 2009
According to Chairman of the Czech Society for Wind Energy (CSVE) Michal Janecek, the installed wind energy capacity in the Czech Republic will increase by 14 MW in 2009. The current installed is 150 MW but Janecek claims that the country's potential is about of 2,700 MW and a mid-term goal is to reach 1,000 MW within four to five years.
France
Vergnet signs long-term wind turbine contract with GDF Suez
In April, French wind turbine manufacturer Vergnet announced it had signed a long-term contract with GDF Suez over the supply of wind turbines for the Southern Pacific region. Vergnet has already installed eleven 275kW wind turbines in Vanuatu for GDF Suez.
Germany
New cable to transport power from wind farms?
A new 1,400 MW underwater cable could be used to export electricity from wind farms in Germany. The cable, which could be operational by 2014, would run between Kristiansand in Norway and Wilhelmshaven in Germany and is being financed by Norwegian power generators Agder and Lyse and Swiss energy trading company EGL. Initially it will be used to import hydro electricity from Norway.
EnBW places wind turbine order with Siemens for Baltic 1 project
In April 2009 Siemens Energy and EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg signed a contract for the supply of 21 SWT 2.3-93 wind turbines for the Baltic 1 offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea. Maritime civil engineering work will commence in early 2010. The wind farm, with a total capacity of 48.3 MW, is scheduled to come on line in the last quarter of 2010.
Italy
Enel Green Power acquires 50% of Eurus' wind projects in Calabria
Enel Green Power has entered a joint venture with Eurus Energy Europe whereby it will acquire the rights to 50% of wind energy projects of up to 400MW capacity in Calabria, Italy. Enel Green Power's currently has 380 MW of domestic wind energy production
15 Nordex wind turbines for San Sostene wind farm
German wind turbine manufacturer Nordex has been awarded an order for 15 wind turbines from Falck Renewables. The wind turbines, which have an overall capacity 37.5 MW are intended for the San Sostene wind farm in Italy. The German wind turbine manufacturer will begin building the wind farm with in July 2009.
India
Suzlon Energy to enter four new markets
Suzlon Energy, the Indian wind turbine manufacturer, plans to expand to up to four more countries. It is looking into areas in Canada, the European Union and South America. It has already decided to start operations in South Africa soon and will be increasing its equipment manufacturing capacity to support the generation of 5,700 MW of wind power by June 2009, up from 4,000MW now.
Poland
RWE announces investment plans worth EUR 500mn
German RWE has revealed its plans to invest €500mn in wind energy projects in Poland by 2015. At present, the company is building a wind park in Poland's Suwalki region.
Portugal
Iberdrola set to increase investments
The Spanish electricity company Iberdrola, is to disinvest from gas and real estate assets worth EUR 2.50bn (USD 3.25bn), and to invest instead in two wind farms in Portugal as well as a combined cycle power station and four hydro power stations with a capacity of 1,000 MW.
Spain
Iberdrola Renovables opens 202 MW Penascal wind farm
Spanish renewable energy firm, Iberdrola Renovables, has opened its 84-turbine wind farm in Kenedy County in the US state of Texas. The Penascal wind farm has a generation capacity of 202 MW and will have annual generation sufficient for 70,000 average households. It will also avoid the emission of around 60,000 tonnes of CO2. A 15-year power purchase agreement for energy produced at the wind farm has been signed with CPS Energy of San Antonio and South Texas Energy Cooperative.
Demand for renewable energy accounts for 7.6% of the total
According to data released by Spain's energy agency, IDAE, in 2008, demand for renewable energy accounted for 7.6% of the total demand of primary energy and 20.5% of electricity. At the end of the year, Spain had a 39,101 MW of installed renewable energy capacity from renewable sources, including 16,549 MW of wind energy capacity. A further 3,800MW of wind energy will be built by 2010.
E.ON's electricity supply in 2008 rated 100% renewable
German energy firm, E.ON, has secured the 'A-label' from Spain's National Energy Commission, moving up from ‘B-label’. The ‘A-label’ certifies that 100% of the energy E.ON Energia sold in 2008 in Spain was renewable, and is awarded for energy which is produced without carbon dioxide emissions and without radioactive waste.
Turkey
Relight wins approval for three wind farms
Italian renewable energy company Relight will gain entry into the Turkish market via its local subsidiary Relight Enerji, which is to build three wind farms in the north-eastern province of Balikesir with a total capacity of 203 MW. The three wind farms are at Tatlipinar (80 MW), Sahres (93 MW) and Edincik (30 MW). Relight intends to follow up this investment, worth €300mn, with another three projects totalling 460 MW, which are now at the application stage.
UK
Wind farm application delays to be tackled
The UK has a new chief planning official, Sir Michael Pitt, who is to tackle the bottleneck in wind farm applications which has been blamed for stalling the progress of the UK's renewable energy industry. The British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) has stated that so far in 2009 ten wind farm applications have been approved, whilst another ten have been refused. In recent years the approval rate for wind farm applications has been approximately 40% with it taking an average of two years for a decision to be made, while 70% of other infrastructure schemes are approved within 16 weeks.
Report calls for government to support wind industry
The UK's wind power industry urgently needs financial support from the government, otherwise the potential for new jobs will be lost to overseas competitors, with renewable energy targets also at risk, according to a new report from the Institute for Public Policy Research. The report points out that only 700 people work in the wind sector, but there is the potential for up to 70,000 jobs if the government steps in to support offshore schemes.
London Array offshore wind farm project to go ahead
Danish utility DONG Energy, German utility E.ON and Abu Dhabi’s global environment and energy platform Masdar have announced that they will invest €2.2bn in building the first 630MW phase of the London Array offshore wind farm in the Thames Estuary.
Once complete, the scheme will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm, with 270 wind turbines and a total capacity of 1 GW. The project will supply enough power for around 750,000 homes – or a quarter of Greater London homes - and displace the emission of 1.9m tonnes of CO2 every year. Two thirds of the wind farm facilities are to be set up by 2012.
US
Obama to introduce new rules to promote offshore wind turbines
The Obama administration's Interior Department introduced new rules to promote offshore wind turbines to coincide with Earth Day on 22 April 2009. They promote a greater use of offshore wind power to offset the need for more oil and gas drilling, and set out guidelines for offshore leases and royalty payments. The first major offshore development in the US will take place along the Atlantic Coast off Cape Cod by the end of 2010. The wind farm will have 130 wind turbines totalling around 420 MW of capacity, and be able to supply electricity to up to 400,000 households. The building work should be finished by 2011.
Projects could eventually also take place in the Gulf of Mexico or Pacific Coast where floating platforms would be needed due to deeper waters. The Energy Department is also looking to spend some federal stimulus funds to develop new and improved turbine blades that could be used offshore.
Siemens in US wind turbine production plan
Siemens is to build a new wind turbine nacelle production facility in Kansas, US. Work will start in August 2009 and the first nacelles should be shipped in December 2010. The company expects to produce about 650 nacelles a year, all for Siemens’ 2.3 MW turbine range. About 400 new jobs are expected to be created.
Vestas to invest $1bn in US research centre and factories
Danish wind power company Vestas will spend $1bn (€745.12mn) on building a research and development centre in Texas, as well as six wind turbine component factories in Colorado.
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