Senvion

Senvion SE
Societas Europaea
Traded as FWB: RPW
Industry Renewable power
Founded 2001
Headquarters Hamburg, Germany
Key people
 Andreas Nauen (CEO), Tulsi Tanti (Chairman of the supervisory board)
Products Wind turbines
Revenue Decrease€1.6 billion (2013/2014)
Number of employees
 3300 (2013)
Parent Suzlon Energy
Website www.senvion.com
REpower in Bremerhaven, Germany (Aerial view 2012)
REpower MM82 Wind Turbine in Minervino Murge, Italy

Senvion SE (formerly REpower Systems SE) is a German wind turbine company founded in 2001, which was subsequently acquired in December 2009 by Suzlon Energy Ltd. Its product range comprises several types of turbines with rated outputs of between 1.5 and 6.15 megawatts. REpower's 1.5-megawatt MD 70/77 range of turbines is one of the most successful turbines in its class. In 2002 Senvion launched its 2-megawatt MM 70/82/92 range, currently in series production. The company created the 5-megawatt 5M in 2005 and brought an upgraded 6.15-megawatt version of the turbine, the 6M, into service in 2009.[1]

History

The Group was formed in 2001 from the merger of the company "Jacobs energy" with HSW (Husum Shipyard), "BWU" and "pro + pro energy systems" (a subsidiary of aerodyn energiesysteme and Denker & Wulf). The roots of this company go but back to the year 1994, when the first self-developed 500-kilowatt system was presented. This was in the following years through a collaboration between "Jacobs Energie", which was founded in 1996 BWU developed into a 600-kW system (type 43/600). Previously, the configuration and operating company "Denker & Wulf" was founded in Sehestedt in 1995. This was, however, sold to the interim consolidated financial affiliation with REpower, in 2004.

Senvion started to produce the ProTec MD, a 1500 kW turbine. This turbine designed by "pro + pro energy systems" was licensed also to "Jacobs Energie", Nordex, Südwind and Fuhrländer. Later own designs like 2MW, 3MW and 5MW turbines are follow.

In May 2007 after efforts by its largest shareholder Areva, to take a controlling interest in the company, a series of protracted bidding rounds [2] resulted in not Areva, but Suzlon Energy of India acquiring the majority shareholding in REpower Systems for €1.3 billion.[3] The deal was structured in such a manner to allow Suzlon to purchase Martifer's stake (22%) within two years for a fixed price of €265 million.[4] Suzlon subsequently strengthened its position by buying the remaining 30% Areva stake in June 2008 for more than €350 million.[5] Suzlon's total investment of approximately US$ 1.6 billion gives it a holding of 66%, with the next largest shareholder being Martifer of Portugal. Areva went on to purchase the majority holding in 5MW rival, Multibrid.[6] In 2009 Suzlon raised its share to 92% of REpower.[7] As of 31 March 2012, Suzlon Energy now owns 100% of Senvion, but has agreed to sell the company to Centerbridge Partners LP. [8]

Operations

The Senvion 5M 5-megawatt turbine was the largest commercial turbine until the subsequent upgrade of this unit to provide significant more power, named "6M". This has a rated output of 6.15 megawatts from the same rotor diameter of 126.5 meters. The target market is the offshore wind farms sector offshore wind farm. The prototype was assembled in the autumn of 2004 in Brunsbüttel, located in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. In August 2006 the first 5M model was erected for the Beatrice project. The Senvion 6MW turbine with the same rotor diameter has been operational in Elhöft, Germany since 2009, well ahead of any other turbine manufacturers in this class in the world.

Through subsidiaries and associates as well as licensing agreements, Senvion is present in all major growth markets for wind energy in Europe: France, Portugal, Italy, Spain, the UK and Greece, in addition to promising overseas markets such as Japan, China, India and Australia.

Recently Senvion has developed the 3.4MW and 3.2MW wind turbine for the onshore market.

Together with the North German wind farm project developer Denker & Wulf AG, Senvion has signed a contract for the delivery of 22 wind turbines to Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The Senvion 3.4M104 turbines are planned for the Hohen Luckow project southwest of Rostock and are to be constructed by summer 2012.

Products

Some of the more recent wind turbine models made by Senvion are listed below. The rotor diameter (in meters) follows the M.

Locations in Germany

Senvion new nacelle assembly hall at Bremerhaven.
Wind rotor blade Senvion, Bukowsko 2010

Senvion maintain their global operating headquarters and administrative centre at Hamburg. Research and Design facilities are located at Rendsburg, Schleswig Holstein, close to the original manufacturing plant and test centre in Husum. A new assembly hall was opened in Bremerhaven in 2008[9] specifically aimed at the future offshore market. This facility was built adjacent to a new 460m long joint venture blade assembly plant, where Senvion has a majority holding.[10] A further manufacturing and service centre exists at Trampe near Berlin, and a secondary design office at Osnabrück.

Offshore wind

Senvion 5MW in Thornton Bank

Senvion is a major supplier to the offshore wind industry. As well as the two units installed in the Beatrice demonstrator project in the Moray Firth, the 5M unit is currently being used for Phase I of the Thornton Bank project off the Belgian coast, where the first six of a total of 54 turbines were installed in the summer of 2008.[11] Thornton Bank phases II and III (featuring 48 x Senvion 6M turbines) were installed in 2013. This wind farm has been running exceptionally well, with capacity factors of well above 50% in the first three months of 2014 - well above the predicted yields. Thornton Bank was fully project financed, thus demonstrating the bankability and track record of the Senvion turbines. In 2012, Senvion also completed the 150MW Ormonde wind farm off the coast of Barrow in the UK with 30 x Senvion 5M turbines for Vattenfall. Further projects include Nordergründe in the Weser estuary off the coast of Bremerhaven, where a turbine supply agreement has been signed to supply 18 x 6M units.[12] The 5M is also deployed as part of the Alpha Ventus demonstrator in the German North Sea, where six 5M units were installed in 2009. In anticipation of future turbine supply shortages, RWE Innogy signed a memorandum of understanding with Senvion for supply of 250 offshore units up to 2016.[13] Senvion has also recently signed a contract for 54 x Senvion 6M turbines for the 332MW Gode Wind I project, replacing the Vestas turbines that were originally planned there.

Senvion is currently installing 48 x 6.2M126 turbines on the Nordsee Ost wind farm in 2014 for RWE Innogy.

The 6M turbine is currently (as of 2014) the world's largest commercially available offshore wind turbine and Thornton Bank is currently the world's largest offshore wind farm featuring 6MW+ wind turbines.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Germany Inaugurates 5 MW Wind Turbine Prototype". RenewableEnergyAccess.com. 2005-02-04. Retrieved 2007-11-20.
  2. ↑ "How Suzlon swung the REpower deal!". The Times Of India. 2007-05-26.
  3. ↑ http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2007/05/26/stories/2007052605190100.htm Suzlon acquires REpower Systems for €1.35-b as Areva backs out
  4. ↑ http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=333247 Suzlon advances REpower Systems stake buy
  5. ↑ http://www.suzlon.com/Content/News/PressReleasePDFs/Areva_REpower_Put_Option_Exercise_V1R3_FINAL.pdf
  6. ↑ "Areva takes 51% in German wind plant firm -source". Reuters. 2007-09-16.
  7. ↑ Suzlon aims for full control
  8. ↑ [url=http://www.suzlon.com/images/Media_Center_Press_release/352_Suzlon%20signs%20binding%20agreement%20with%20Centerbridge%2022nd%20January%202015.pdf Suzlon signs binding agreement with Centerbridge Partners LP for 100% sale of Senvion SE]
  9. ↑ http://www.repowersystems.de/index.php?id=151&backPID=407&tt_news=1604&L=1
  10. ↑ http://www.repowersystems.de/index.php?id=151&backPID=25&begin_at=5&tt_news=1764&L=1
  11. ↑ http://www.yourindustrynews.com/news_item.php?newsID=8617
  12. ↑ http://www.energiekontor.de/aktuelles/aktuelles.php?nr=edf00e9d35b78dafd999da58f1673719
  13. ↑ http://renewenergy.wordpress.com/2008/02/25/repower-rwe-innogy-make-19-gw-deal/

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to REpower.