Nordex signs wind power contract for 250 MW in Pakistan

Wind power contracts signed for 250 MW in Pakistan. After becoming one of the first wind turbines suppliers to secure a contract in the Pakistan market, Nordex has cemented its position as the market leader. Nordex has signed supply and service contracts for N100/2500 turbines with a further four companies from Pakistan. Subject to final approval by the Pakistan authorities and funding, these contracts will cover five projects of 20 turbines each, providing a total of 250 megawatts to the Pakistan grid.

Nordex is convinced that the wind market in Pakistan will develop at a rapid pace. In order to meet the growing demand for power, government and a number of commercial enterprises are planning substantial increases to Pakistan’s power generation capacity with wind power energy set to play a key role. The Pakistan government estimates the exploitable wind power potential in Sindh Province in the south of the country to be some 11,000 megawatts alone.

Sindh Province is also the location where Nordex’ wind turbines will be installed. Two of the projects are owned by subsidiaries of Fauji Foundation. Another subsidiary of Fauji Foundation, Fauji Fertilizer Company, previously awarded Nordex its first 50 megawatt project in Pakistan in 2010. The first 1.5 megawatt turbines for this project will be shipped to Pakistan next month. Two of the new wind power projects announced today are due in 2012 with each supplying around 150 gigawatthours of electricity per annum.

The customers for the other three N100/2500 wind farm projects are also large Pakistani companies. Gul Ahmed Wind Power Limited (a wholly owned subsidiary of Gul Ahmed Energy Limited), Metro Power Company Limited and Yunus Energy Limited (part of Yunus Brothers Group) have all signed one project each. These wind farms are due to be built in 2012 and 2013. Both Gul Ahmed Energy Limited and Yunus Brothers Group have already invested in conventional power projects within Pakistan and are now expanding their portfolios with renewable projects.

CSO Lars Bondo Krogsgaard: “Pakistan is the most important Asian market outside China for Nordex today. The fact that we were able to sign contracts with four customers at the same time shows that we are already a very trusted supplier there.”

As a technological leader among suppliers of megawatt wind turbines, Nordex benefits particularly from the global trend towards large-scale wind turbines. The product range includes one of the largest series wind power systems in the world (N80/2500, N90/2500, N100/2500, N117/2400) with more than 1,700 of these turbines having been produced to date. This means that Nordex has a crucial edge in terms of experience in operating large turbines compared to most of its competitors in the sector. Overall, Nordex has installed more than 4,600 turbines with a capacity in excess of 7,100 MW around the world. With exports accounting for over 95 percent of its business, Nordex also has a strong position in international high-growth regions. The company has offices and subsidiaries in 19 countries. In total, the Group employs more than 2,600 people worldwide.

By José Santamarta, www.nordex-online.com/