ABO Wind has kicked off foundation installation at the 16MW Forst Briesnig wind farm in Brandenburg’s Lusitia region in Germany.
The project is at the site of a former Vattenfall open-cast mine near Janschwalde, with the ground having to be compressed before foundation installation could start.
ABO Wind will also hammer 32 concrete piles into the ground measuring between 15 and 21 metres.
Installation of the project’s five Senvion 3.2M122 turbines with 143-metre hub heights will be completed in November, the developer said.
Full commissioning is slated by the end of the year.
“We will be able to profit from our experience gained in Janschwalde at other project sites,” said ABO Wind executive Ute Simon.
“There are numerous former open cast mines in the Lusitia region, and many of them are well qualified for wind farms,” she added.
Meanwhile, sister company ABO Invest shareholders rubber-stamped the company’s plans to add solar projects to its portfolio.
ABO was recently hit by several low-wind-yield years and hopes to achieve a more stable power production with a mix of onshore wind and solar projects.
More than 99% of the shareholders at the general meeting held last week voted for the proposal, the company said.
It will also decide later this year whether to acquire two 4.5MW Nordex N149 machines that ABO Wind is currently installing near Wennersdorf south of Hamburg.
ABO Invest is also consider the acquisition of several solar power projects that ABO Wind is planning to develop in Greece and Hungary, said board member Andreas Hollinger.
The company has cash reserves worth €7m to finance acquisitions, he added.
ABO Invest currently has a 150MW portfolio consisting of 66 onshore wind turbines and one biogas plant.
Image: ABO Wind
ABO starts German foundation course
By EBS