New development for RENERCO

A wind farm with an estimated capital cost of £12m is currently under construction in Clacton-on-sea.

Earl’s Hall Farm Wind Farm comprises five REpower MM92 turbines, each of which has a 2.05 MW output. The wind farm is being constructed for German-based RENERCO Renewable Energy Concepts AG (“RENERCO”). Once the site is fully operational, the wind farm is expected to generate up to 30 GWh annually.

RENERCO Turnkey Construction Manager, Benjamin Casteleyn, said:

“We selected the REpower MM92 turbines based on their site suitability, our good experience with this turbine supplier on other projects and because REpower provided a supply and maintenance proposal that matched our aims for the site. This is an important project for us as it is our first UK project.”

Work began on Earl’s Hall Farm Wind Farm in February 2012. The first two turbines were delivered to the site in June 2012, with erection commencing shortly thereafter.

Prior to work taking place on construction of the wind farm, several ecological surveys were undertaken to record and mitigate the impact of the project on the local environment. A site investigation was then conducted to assess the ground conditions ahead of the installation of turbine foundations. The piled foundations were constructed using reinforced steel bars and concrete.

Additional work on the site includes the construction of aggregate access tracks and a substation.

Once work is complete, RENERCO will use local partners to manage the operations and maintenance of Earl’s Hall Farm Wind Farm whilst RENERCO’s in-house operations team will monitor performance from their base in Munich. RENERCO will also remain responsible for the overall maintenance of the site.

Benjamin Casteleyn commented:

“In late 2010 RENERCO was given the opportunity to enter into a framework agreement with a project developer who has provided us with a pipeline of up to 10 wind farms. Amongst these schemes was Earl’s Hall Farm.

“Earl’s Hall Farm Wind Farm is located very close to the sea and therefore achieves good wind speeds, which helps make this a strong project. As the first UK project for RENERCO, it is very important that we get this site off the ground correctly. We have high expectations for working within the UK energy market and Earl’s Hall Farm Wind Farm will help us to develop our long-term activities overseas.

“Compared to the other countries where RENERCO is active, we are part of a small team of just 6 people working in the UK market, so the completion of Earl’s Hall Farm Wind Farm means a great deal to us.

“We typically project finance our projects, but having the flexibility to commence construction prior to arranging external finance has been instrumental in setting up Earl’s Hall Farm Wind Farm so quickly.”

Earl’s Hall Farm Wind Farm is targeting commercial operations in October 2012. The main civil works contractor for the project is Birse Civils. The turbine supplier is REpower.

RENERCO

RENERCO Renewable Energy Concepts AG (“RENERCO”) is an experienced renewable energy development company based in Munich, Germany.

RENERCO has been active in the wind energy market since the early 1990s and operates an integrated business model across its four core renewable energy sectors; wind, solar, geothermal and bioenergy. Current activities are mainly focused on Germany, the UK, France, Spain, Poland and Italy.

RENERCO’s areas of expertise include the development and turn-key construction of renewable energy projects as well as commercial and technical management of operational projects. Both of these skill sets are applied to in-house as well as third party projects where RENERCO assumes an independent consultancy or sub-contracting role.

For more information on RENERCO Renewable Energy Concepts AG please contact pr@renerco.co.uk.