New German wind project features GE wind turbines

Salzbergen, Germany, Jan. 9, 2006 — A new wind project in Okel, Lower Saxony, Germany features five 2.3 megawatt wind turbines from GE Energy.

Located 20 km southeast of Bremen, the Windpark Okeler Bruch has a total capacity of 11.5 MW. The project is expected to generate enough power on an annual basis to meet the electricity requirements of approximately 7,200 average German households.

The project is owned by WindStrom Nord GmbH & Co. Okeler Bruch KG and was developed by WindStrom Innovative Energiesysteme GmbH, a developer of wind projects in Germany. The power is being purchased by Avacon AG, the municipal utility of Hannover, state capital of Lower Saxony. Avacon is a 100% subsidiary of E.ON, an integrated power and gas company and the world’s largest private sector energy services company.

The continuing development of wind power technology is a key element of ecomagination, GE’s company-wide initiative to bring to market new technologies that will help customers meet pressing environmental challenges.

Groundbreaking for Windpark Okeler Bruch was held in September, and the installation of the five wind turbines was completed in December. The turbines were assembled at GE Energy’s facilities in Salzbergen.

GE Energy’s 2.3-megawatt wind turbines are part of the company’s family of 2.x-class wind turbines, designed for applications covering a broad range of wind conditions. To meet the height restrictions of the Okeler Bruch site, GE utilized its new modular tower system to provide wind turbines with customized 93-meter hub heights. Recently developed, GE’s modular tower system offers a new level of hub height flexibility to better meet project-specific requirements.