Siemens has received an order for the supply, installation and commissioning of a total of 24 direct-drive wind turbines for four French wind projects, located in the Nord Pas-de-Calais and Picardie regions in the north of the country. The investors, each with 50%, are Diamond Generating Europe Ltd (DGE) and the French renewable energy company EDF Energies Nouvelles (EDF EN).
The model SWT-3.0-101 wind turbines ordered for these projects each have a capacity of 3 MWe and a rotor diameter of 101 metres. This marks the first order for Siemens from France for gearless wind turbines. Erection and commissioning are scheduled for 2014. Siemens is also responsible for maintenance of the wind turbines over a period of fifteen years.
"Compared to conventional wind turbine technology, our direct-drive wind turbine has half the components and substantially fewer rotating parts," stated Jan Kjaersgaard, CEO of Siemens Wind Power for the EMEA sales region. "This enhances reliability and reduces the maintenance scope for the plants. We are pleased to be installing this ... technology for the first time onshore in France."
France is one of the most important wind markets in Europe. The French government plans to install a total of 25 GW of wind power by 2020, of which 7.5 GW was already in place at the end of 2012."
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