IFE Eriksen AG invests in repowering

Oldenburg-based IFE Eriksen AG today announced its investment of around EUR 12 million in the construction of a wind farm rated at 6.9 MW in the municipality of Wiefelstede in the Ammerland district. In 2000, IFE Eriksen AG constructed the Conneforde wind farm with a rated output of 1.8 MW. After nearly 11 years of service, IFE Eriksen AG has now acquired this legacy wind farm from its investors. IFE Eriksen AG will now invest in three Enercon E-82 high-performance wind turbine systems for use at the same location.

 "Repowering has the objective of ensuring the more efficient exploitation of pre-existing wind farm sites by the use of taller and more powerful wind turbine systems," explains IFE Eriksen AG’s Management Board member Jakobus Smit. “With just a small financial incentive, it is possible to replace a legacy wind farm facility with a new wind farm. The only precondition is that the output of the new wind power station must be at least double that of the old wind power station on the same site." 

"Ultimately, this benefits all stakeholders," says Karl-Heinz Buß, Manager New Business and Operations at IFE Eriksen. "In addition to ensuring that electricity production is more eco-friendly, repowering also reduces the impact on the countryside and increases regional value creation by generating significantly higher yields at the same site.  The municipality can count on far higher trade tax revenues in the future, while landowners receive a higher level of usage fees and the majority of funds invested are used to procure wind turbines and base systems."

Repowering complements IFE Eriksen's focus on the development and operation of its own new-build wind farms.  In the next few years, the company plans to realise a range of projects in Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and the northern part of Brandenburg.