German wind turbine manufacturer Fuhrländer AG will supply four 1,3 MW wind turbines

Bonn/Cape Town (WWEA) – The first phase of the first African wind farm operated by an independent power producer will be equipped with four 1,3 MW wind turbines of the German wind turbine manufacturer Fuhrländer. The supply contract for the wind farm in Darling (Western Cape/South Africa) has recently been signed by Joachim Fuhrländer, CEO of Fuhrländer AG, and Hermann Oelsner, CEO of Darling Wind Farm Pty Ltd, in Waigandshain/Germany:

The planning process of the wind farm started already in 1995. After another, major wind turbine producer announced in late 2005 that it could not fulfil the former contract to deliver the four wind turbines to South Africa, Fuhrländer AG took the opportunity to step into the project. In August 2006, the power purchase agreement with the City of Cape Town was signed thus closing the financial setup. The construction work of the wind farm will still start within 2006 and the wind farm is expected to be in operation in July 2007.

Hermann Oelsner, CEO of Darling Wind Farm Pty Ltd: “We appreciate very much that Fuhrländer is showing such strong commitment to developing wind energy in Southern Africa by offering the turbines at very favourable and flexible conditions. I am convinced that this strong engagement will pay back when the wind industry in the region will take off in the coming years, not at least caused by the current electricity crisis in the Western Cape.”

Stefan Gsänger, WWEA Secretary General: “A wind farm with four wind turbines appears small compared with some projects in the established wind markets in other parts of the world – however, we expect that the functioning of the first IPP wind farm in Africa will pave the way for many further projects and will demonstrate that wind energy is an excellent option for the whole African continent.”