In October of 2008, GE announced it would supply 139 2.5xl wind turbines for the first phase of this wind farm, and construction in this phase is now underway. When phase two is completed in 2011, the site will have a total capacity of 600 MW, enough wind-generated electricity to meet the requirements of more than 400,000 homes.
The Fantanele and Cogealac projects are located in Dobrogea, Constanta County (Romania), which has some of the strongest wind power potential in the country. The 2.5xl wind turbine represents GE’s most advanced wind turbine technology in terms of efficiency, reliability and grid connection capabilities and should help to harvest maximum yields from what will be Europe’s largest wind farm.
Nearly 200 of GE’s 2.5-megawatt wind turbines have been installed in nine countries in both 50- and 60-hertz configurations and have compiled more than one million operating hours. In addition, GE has received commitments to provide the 2.5xl for projects over the next year that will total more than one GW of capacity. Most of GE’s 2.5xl wind turbines for European projects are manufactured at GE Energy’s wind turbine facility in Salzbergen (Germany), which was recently expanded to help meet Europe’s growing demand for wind turbines.
The Romanian government has created legislation that is favourable to the development of renewable energy resources, granting significant incentives for wind farms and other renewable energy projects through 2015. This has encouraged investors and developers to pursue projects in the country. “Romania is an excellent example of how good policy can drive investments in the energy sector,” said Rod Christie, president of GE Energy for CEE, Russia & CIS. “Good legislation helps to pave the way for projects such as Fantanele and Cogealac and will help Romania achieve its EU-mandated renewable energy targets and modernize and diversify its energy infrastructure.”
Nevertheless, according to the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA), at the end of 2008 only 10 MW of wind generation equipment was installed in Romania, accounting for less than 1% of installed generating capacity.
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