German companies join to develop Irish wind projects

A co-operation deal on wind station projects in Ireland has been struck between German wind turbine manufacturer DeWind Technik and German wind project developer Plambeck Neue Energien (PNE). The agreement covers three projects worth over DEM 60 million and involving a total of 27 turbines in the 1 MW size range, says DeWind. This will be the first planning project abroad for PNE. DeWind already has a sprinkling of turbines in Japan and several European countries but describes the installations in Ireland as a breakthrough into the export market. Its turbines are currently manufactured in Lübeck, but from 2000 also in Spain. The agreement between DeWind and PNE deepens an existing two year framework contract signed in early summer (Windpower Monthly, September 1999). DeWind agreed to transfer six planned wind projects of three to five turbines each to PNE, and PNE is to buy 75 DeWind units amounting to a total of about 50 MW of wind power generating capacity and worth around DEM 100 million. To meet the demands of the new deals, DeWind is looking for new staff.