Vestas has secured a service contract extension for 57 units of the V90-2.0 MW turbine representing a total capacity of 114 MW for the following wind power plants in Spain: Mallén in Zaragoza, Sierra del Tineo in Asturias, La Victoria in Cádiz and Matabuey in Salamanca.
The wind farms installed between 2006 and 2011 started to generate electricity in June 2006, March 2009, December 2010, and April 2011, respectively. They are the property of Vestas global Key Account Customer E.ON Climate and Renewables, one of the world’s largest owners of renewable power projects, which is rapidly expanding its wind energy portfolio worldwide. As of May 2010, the company owns Vestas wind turbines for a total capacity of 700 MW in Europe and the US.
The service renewal contract includes the Active Output Management package ‘AOM 5000’ for a five-year period. The AOM 5000 is Vestas’ new service solution optimizing wind power plant output and minimizing customer risk. This new service product introduces an energy-based guarantee, which ensures the turbines are fully operational when the wind is blowing. Thus, this service offering provides customers with a higher certainty of energy production and a higher energy output than traditional service offerings with a time-base availability guarantee, leading to more revenue and increased business case certainty.
The main drivers behind E.ON Climate and Renewables choice were Vestas unmatched service track record and overall past service performance in providing customers around the world with very high business case certainty and clear added value supported by Vestas’ comprehensive range of service solutions.
“We are pleased to announce this contract renewal with Vestas, which strengthens our partnership clearly supported by Vestas Global Key Account Program,” says Manuel Navarro, Operations Director, E.ON Climate & Renewables Iberia, who continues: “We have opted for the AOM 5000, as it introduces an energy-based guarantee, which clearly differentiates Vestas service offering from other service providers. We believe that Vestas is the right choice for the service and maintenance of our wind farm plants, and that their new service product will give us a more secure return on our investment.”
Dan Lund, Vice President, Key Account Management, Vestas Northern Europe, affirms: “It is with great pleasure that we announce the signature of this renewal contract which shows E.ON’s trust not only in the reliability of our products, but also in our service organization and capabilities.”
Jose Luis Jimeno Gutierrez, Director Service, Vestas Iberia, emphasizes: “We are glad that through the renewal of this service contract Vestas is able to provide job stability and continuous competence development for all the Vestas’ employees delivering service and maintenance to these wind power plants.”
Juan Araluce, President, Vestas Mediterranean, concludes: “At Vestas, we believe that a close and regular customer dialogue is a prerequisite for maintaining and consolidating a valuable partnership with our customers, and this is what we are doing through our Global Key Account program.”
The above-listed wind power plants have an annual production of approx. 325,646 MWh, saving the environment almost 127,000 tons of CO2, and they are able to meet the electricity needs of close to 205,000 people in Spain on an annual basis.
Vestas has the largest global service organization in the wind energy industry, with approximately 20 per cent of employees working in the service areas. Vestas technicians undergo rigorous training and certification and operate under the “Safety First” principles, every hour of every day.
With seven Performance & Diagnostic Centres allowing us to gather 24/7 performance data from more than 31,500 MW around the globe – across all kinds of sites and in all wind conditions – Vestas has developed unmatched competencies in diagnostic capabilities. The Vestas Mediterranean Performance & Diagnostic Centre alone monitors and controls 24/7 more than 4,000 wind turbines operating in the Mediterranean region.
E.ON is one of the world’s largest investor-owned power and gas companies. At facilities across Europe, Russia, and North America, more than 85,000 employees generated just under EUR 93 billion in sales in 2010. E.ON’s ambitious objective: to make energy cleaner and better wherever we operate. E.ON Climate & Renewables has an installed capacity of more than 3.6 GW, consisting mainly of on- and offshore wind farms. Additionally, it operates biomass, as well as biogas plants and aims to significantly increase its engagement in the solar power industry. Further activities include R&D in the marine energy sector.
