RWE Innogy takes wind farm into operation in France

The Forières wind farm consists of four wind turbines with a capacity of 2 megawatts (MW) each. It is RWE Innogy’s third wind farm in France besides the wind farms Petit Caux and Hauts Traits. Additional wind farms are planned in the regions of Pays de la Loire, Normandy and Midi Pyrénées.

By commissioning the Forières wind farm, RWE Innogy increases its French wind energy portfolio to 28 MW. Moreover, the company runs hydroelectric power plants with a generation capacity of 45 MW in France.

Approx. 3.4 gigawatts (GW) of wind power capacity were in operation in France at the end of 2008. 5.6 TWh of electricity were generated from wind power in the year as a whole. This is equivalent to a share of 1.2 % of France’s total electricity consumption. By 2020, the installed wind power capacity is to grow to 25 GW of which onshore plants and offshore facilities are to account for 19 GW and 6 GW respectively. Power generation from renewable energies is financially supported by guaranteed payments for electricity fed into the grid.

RWE Innogy is the company for renewable energies in the RWE Group and invests an average of at least 1 billion euros per year in the development of power generation from renewable energies. In the focus are in particular wind, water and biomass projects in whole Europe. With a capacity of some 1.4 GW, the company ranks among Europe’s leading wind power producers. RWE Innogy has a total installed capacity of 2.1 GW. The company intends to increase its installed power plant capacity in operation or under construction to 4.5 GW by 2012.

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