o       high voltage alternating current connection
o       hybrid-high voltage direct current connection

o       VSC (voltage source converter) high voltage direct current connection.

REpower Systems AG has secured three contracts with the company Fenland Wind Farms Ltd to supply 22 wind energy turbines, each of 2MW, in the East Anglia region of the UK. Fenland Wind Farms Ltd was established specifically for this project by the French green electricity producer EDF Energies Nouvelles, an affiliate of EDF Group. The three wind parks should be completed and put into operation by spring 2006. The total project turnover for REpower should exceed € 32 million. The ‘Fenland Wind Farms’ will be erected in Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire in eastern England on three sites. The wind parks were developed by the independent British project developer Wind Prospect Group in cooperation with EDF Energies Nouvelles. REpower UK Ltd, a joint venture between REpower Systems AG and the specialist engineering company Peter Brotherhood Ltd, will take responsibility for the construction of the turbines.

On 26 May, government and business dignitaries gathered with local townspeople to officially dedicate the Arklow Bank Offshore Wind Park. Built, owned and operated by GE Energy, the plant is the first large-scale offshore wind energy facility developed solely as a technology demonstration and learning platform for offshore wind power, and represents Ireland’s first offshore wind project. Placed in operation in June 2004, GE’s seven 3.6MW wind turbines bring 25MW of wind-generated capacity to Ireland’s electricity grid. The project is sited about 10km from Arklow’s shore on the Arklow Bank in the Irish Sea. The current 25MW project is considered phase 1 of the overall proposed project. Under the terms of the project’s co-development agreement, once GE’s demonstration is complete – approximately two years from first operation – Zeusford, a company owned 50% by Airtricity and EHN of Spain, holds an option to purchase the project from GE. Further future development of the project to its potential 520MW has been proposed by Zeusford.

Surana Industries Limited of Chennai, India, a producer of thermo-mechanically treated (TMT) bar steel and stainless steel products and components, is turning to wind energy to help power its factories. The company has selected GE Energy’s wind turbine technology for a 12MW wind farm to be located in the village of Radhapuram in the state of Tamilnadu, South India. GE is supplying eight of its 1.5MW wind turbines for the project, which is scheduled for commissioning in July 2005 and is expected to generate approximately 36 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. GE is also providing technical advisory services for the erection and commissioning of the turbines, and operation and maintenance services for five years.

The Vaisala Group has received a significant order for ultrasonic wind sensors from the US National Weather Service. The order includes several hundred ice-free Vaisala Ultrasonic Wind Sensors, including a power supply unit and other accessories. The order value is over US$ 4 million and the deliveries will take place in 2005. The Vaisala Ultrasonic Wind Sensors will be integrated into the Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS), which serves as the primary surface-weather observation network in the USA. ASOS is jointly administered and used by the National Weather Service, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Defense. The network is designed to support weather forecasting activities, aviation operations, and the needs of the meteorological, hydrological and climatological research communities.

The Canunda wind farm in South Australia has now been officially opened by Premier Mike Rann. The wind farm is the first to be fully commissioned in South Australia’s southeast and only the second in the state. It is a joint development between developer Wind Prospect, owner International Power (Australia) and Vestas, the turbine manufacturer. At 2MW apiece, the 23 wind turbines are the largest in Australia and reach an impressive 107m at their highest point. The wind farm has a total capacity of 46MW, which will yield approximately 135,000 megawatt-hours of electricity per year.