Enercon and German wind farm operator Alterric have begun turbine installation at a repowering project in Saxony-Anhalt.
The Bertkow-Baben repowering project will feature 12 5.56MW units replacing 31 old machines.
Repowering refers to the process of replacing old hardware with new, more efficient models in order to generate more energy and increase efficiency.
Alterric as well as EnergieConsult Stendal and turbine manufacturer Enercon jointly installed the first of the 12 E-160 EP5 units at the end of June.
“The Bertkow-Baben wind farm is currently one of the largest repowering projects in Saxony-Anhalt,” said Alterric managing director Frank May.
He added: “The modernisation will increase the wind farm’s output from the current 79MW to around 89MW despite a reduction in the number of turbines.”
The hardware will be installed on hybrid towers with a hub height of 166.6 metres.
Two installation teams with two large cranes will ensure the work is completed by August 2024.
At the same time, the commissioning will begin in July of this year so that the modernised wind farm can be fully connected to the grid and feeding green energy into the grid by autumn 2024.
Regional head of the central & northern Europe region at Enercon Benjamin Seifert said: “Consistent repowering is a turbo for the energy transition.
“Land and infrastructure are available, wind energy is accepted in the vicinity of existing wind farms, so that accelerated realisation is possible.
“This potential must be utilised for the further implementation of the energy transition.”