Vestas has received an order for delivery of 13 V90-2.0 MW wind turbines for the Lucera wind farm in Apulia, Italy. The contract includes supply, installation and commissioning of the turbines and a ten-year operation and maintenance agreement. Delivery is scheduled to start in the first half of 2012 and the project will be completed in the third quarter of the year.
The order has been placed by Sea Spa, a company controlled by Repower which is a leading Swiss utility generating electricity at its own plants in Switzerland, Italy and Germany. With a total installed capacity of 47 MW and a broad portfolio of projects in the pipeline, the company is looking into substantially increasing its own generation during the next few years, with a balanced mix of different technologies.
“We are pleased to announce the signature of this new project in Italy, as we believe we can rightly support the customer’s plans of further expanding its wind installed capacity to produce even more clean energy for its customers,” says Juan Araluce, President of Vestas Mediterranean, who continues: “Being the only company solely dedicated to wind power, we feel we can be the right partner for the company and the country’s further development within wind power.”
“It is very positive for the Italian wind industry that companies continue supporting the development of wind power. Through this order the customer has reaffirmed its trust in our products, our organisation and our capability of granting the business case certainty,” states Rainer Karan, Managing Director of Vestas Italia, who then concludes: “We look forward to continuing our good and fruitful cooperation.”
The wind power plant has a total estimated production capacity of 56,000 MWh per year. Furthermore, it will provide enough power to cover the residential electricity consumption of more than 55,000 people in Italy.
Vestas in Italy
Vestas has been operating in the Italian market since 1998 through the company Vestas Italia which is the sales unit in Vestas Mediterranean handing all sales operations and maintenance activities in Italy. The Italian sales unit is also responsible for the business development activities in the markets of Switzerland, the Balkans, Libya, Egypt and Jordan.
Vestas Italia’s headquarters and main sales office are located in Rome. The company also has an operations office in Taranto, a customer service centre in San Giorgio, as well as service and logistics facilities spread all over the country and on the main islands. In addition, Vestas currently has two production facilities for blades and nacelles for the V52 and the V90 in Taranto. For all the coverage, Vestas employs more than 700 people in Italy to meet the customers’ needs and be ahead of the industry.
Having delivered 2,563 MW in Italy by 30 June 2011, and with a well-structured service and maintenance organisation, Vestas is the most experienced partner within the wind energy industry in Italy.
Vestas Mediterranean
Vestas Mediterranean is one of the seven Sales Business Units in the Vestas Group and it manages all sales, construction and service operations in the countries of the Mediterranean region, Middle East, Latin America, Caribbean as well as approx. 70 per cent of the African continent. As of 30 June 2011, this Sales Business Unit delivered a cumulative capacity of more than 10,300 MW and it had a workforce of more than 3,000 highly skilled and fully committed employees in the Mediterranean area including production capabilities in Italy and Spain.