Danish German co-op buys three 5 MW turbines as test bed

A Danish-German wind power co-operative called Grenzstrom Windtved, owned by 220 individuals, has bought three 5 MW wind turbines from Repower Systems for installation in northern Germany. Although all areas earmarked for wind energy development in the region of northern Schleswig-Holstein are already occupied, the regional planning authority agreed to release another site for use as a wind turbine test bed. The authority says its decision was in recognition of the widespread support in the area for expanding wind capacity, says Grenzstrom Windtved's Reinhard Christiansen. The turbines will be delivered in 2007 or 2008 to a site in the parish of Westre, he says. The company has also won special approval for four Siemens 2.3 MW machines at Ellhöft, close to a 7.8 MW wind plant it already owns. The approval was given because the Siemens units will replace 32 small, old turbines elsewhere in the region as part of a repowering project, Christiansen says. Total investment in the two new projects will amount to EUR 35 million, he adds.