GE Energy's 1.5-Megawatt Turbines Powering United Kingdom's Largest Onshore Wind Farm
MILAN, ITALY (June 28, 2005) — The United Kingdom's largest onshore wind power project, the Cefn Croes wind farm in Wales, was officially opened on June 16. The new wind farm, which provides 20% of Wales' current wind energy capacity, features 39 of GE Energy's 1.5-megawatt wind turbines.
Located near Devil's Bridge in Ceredigion, Wales, the Cefn Croes project has a total wind power capacity of 58.5 megawatts, enough to meet the electricity needs of 42,000 Welsh households.
"The Welsh government is showing strong leadership in promoting cleaner methods of energy production, and has a target of meeting 10% of Wales' energy needs from renewable sources by the year 2010," said Robert Gleitz, GE Energy's general manager - wind energy. "Cefn Croes is a significant step toward achieving that goal."
The Cefn Croes project is owned by Falck Renewables Limited, a leading European developer of wind projects and a subsidiary of the Falck Group, based in Milan, Italy. The new wind farm is operated by Cambrian Wind Energy, a subsidiary of Falck Renewables, and was developed by the Renewable Development Company (RDC). Falck Renewables and RDC are jointly developing more than 500 megawatts of wind energy projects in England, Scotland and Wales.
GE's 1.5-megawatt machines are among the most widely used megawatt-class wind turbines in the global wind industry, with more than 3,000 installed worldwide. In addition to providing the wind turbines, GE Energy managed the overall implementation of the project, including operation and maintenance services. The construction phase provided on-site employment for 100 people, followed by four full-time and three part-time jobs.
About GE Energy
GE Energy (www.gepower.com) is one of the world's leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technology, with 2004 revenue of $17.3 billion. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, GE Energy provides equipment, service and management solutions across the power generation, oil and gas, transmission and distribution, distributed power and energy rental industries.
With wind turbine design, manufacturing and/or assembly facilities in Germany, Spain and the United States, GE Energy’s current wind energy portfolio includes wind turbines with rated outputs ranging from 1.5 to 3.6 megawatts, and support services ranging from project development assistance to operation and maintenance. The company’s knowledge base includes the development and/or installation of more than 7,100 wind turbines with a total rated capacity of 5,600 megawatts.
For more information, contact:
GE Energy:
Dennis Murphy
GE Energy
+1 678 844 6948
dennis.murphy@ps.ge.com
Ken Darling or Howard Masto
Masto Public Relations
+1 518 786 6488
kenneth.darling@ps.ge.com
howard.masto@ps.ge.com
