Nordex USA, Inc. announced a new wind power order from wind farm developer WKN USA, LLC, a BayWa Group Company, for its 30 MW Mozart Wind Farm. The 12 Nordex N100/2500 wind turbines on 80 meter towers will be located about 60 miles northwest of Abilene, Texas, in an area that led the country in wind energy installations over the last decade. The N100’s proven performance record makes it an excellent fit for the site’s IEC Class IIa wind regime.
WKN USA is well-known for its track record of developing and constructing high quality wind farms. Based in San Diego, it became the first German developer to successfully develop and construct a commercial size wind project in the United States. In August 2011, BayWa AG through its wholly owned subsidiary BayWa r.e GmbH acquired a majority stake in WKN USA. This marks the first turbine order in the United States for BayWa, continuing its success in the European renewable market.
“We are very pleased to begin working with Nordex in the US. We have always valued the quality of their turbines, their engineering expertise and their creative solutions,” commented Florian Zerhusen, Founder & CEO of WKN USA, LLC. “We see this order as a first step in extending the success of both of our companies in the American market.”
Nordex will begin delivery of the turbines in late August 2012 and will be responsible for their installation and commissioning. Commercial operation is scheduled for mid-December and an Extended Service contract with a 2-year term has been agreed. The turbines will generate enough energy to power about 9,000 homes. The nacelles will be produced at Nordex’ new plant in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
“We are honored that WKN has selected Nordex for the Mozart Wind Farm. They are widely respected as an international leader in turnkey renewable energy projects and undertook a rigorous review of our technology and our capability,” said Ralf Sigrist, President & CEO of Nordex USA, Inc. “As a growing global company, we know it is important to solidify our existing business connections while we continue our expansion in the Americas.”
By the end of this year Nordex will have installed 447.5 MW of its 2.5 MW turbines in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Colorado, Idaho and Iowa and around 4.300 MW of such turbines worldwide since the year 2001.
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 a more than 4,700 wind turbines with a capacity in excess of 7,100 MW around the world. With exports accounting for over 90 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 2,700 people worldwide.
BayWa AG is an international trading and services Group with headquarters in Munich and locations in 16 countries throughout Europe and the US. Founded in 1923, the BayWa Group employs more than 16,000 individuals in its three core segments: Agriculture, Building Materials and Energy. The Group has concentrated all of its renewable activities under BayWa r.e. and is active in the field of wind, solar energy and biogas. Through its recent acquisition of WKN USA, LLC, BayWa continues to expand into the North American market.
