REpower

Infobox Company
company_name = REpower Systems AG
company_
company_type = Wind Turbine Manufacturer
foundation = 2001
location = flagicon|GER Hamburg, Germany
key_people =
industry = Renewable Power
products = Wind Turbines
revenue = profit
operating_income =
net_income =
num_employees = 738 (2006)
parent = Suzlon Energy
subsid =
homepage = [http://www.repower.de www.repower.de]
footnotes =

REpower is a German wind turbine company founded in 2001. Its product range comprises several types of turbines with rated outputs of between 1.5 and 5 megawatts. It created the world's largest wind turbine, the 5M, in 2005. [cite web|url=http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=21962|title= Germany Inaugurates 5 MW Wind Turbine Prototype|accessdate=2007-11-20|date=2005-02-04|publisher=RenewableEnergyAccess.com] This has been superseeded by Enercon E-126.REpower's 1.5-megawatt MD 70/77 range set new standards and became one of the most successful turbines in its class. In 2002 launched 2-megawatt MM 70/82/92 range, now in series production.

The REpower 5M 5-megawatt turbine is currently one of the largest wind turbine in the world with a rated output of 5 megawatts and a rotor diameter of 126.5 meters. Construction of the prototype, which is destined primarily for offshore wind farms, has been completed in autumn 2004 in Brunsbüttel, located in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. In August 2006 the first offshore erection of a 5M within the project “Beatrice” demonstrator wind farm has been completed.

Through subsidiaries and associates as well as licensing agreements, REpower is present on 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.

Currently Repower is developing 3.3MW and 6MW wind turbines.

In May 2007 after efforts by its largest shareholder Areva, to take a controlling interest in the company, a series of protracted bidding [http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/How_Suzlon_swung_the_REpower_deal/RssArticleShow/articleshow/2075263.cms] resulted in not Areva, but Suzlon Energy of India acquiring the majority shareholding in REpower for EUR 1.3 billion. Suzlon subsequently strengthened its position by buying the remaining 30% Areva stake in June 2008 for more than EUR 350 million [http://www.suzlon.com/Content/News/PressReleasePDFs/Areva_REpower_Put_Option_Exercise_V1R3_FINAL.pdf] . 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 [http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKPAC00866020070916] .

Locations in Germany

REpower 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 [http://www.repowersystems.de/index.php?id=151&backPID=407&tt_news=1604&L=1] specifically aimed at the future offshore market. This facility was built adjacent to a new 460m long joint venture blade assembly plant, where REpower has a majority holding [http://www.repowersystems.de/index.php?id=151&backPID=25&begin_at=5&tt_news=1764&L=1] . A further manufacturing and service centre exists at Trampe near Berlin, and a secondary design office at Osnabrück.

Offshore Wind

REpower have ambitions to become 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 proposed 60 units are being installed in the summer of 2008 [http://www.yourindustrynews.com/news_item.php?newsID=8617] . Further projects include Nordergründe in the Weser estuary off the coast of Bremerhaven, where a turbine supply agreement has been signed to supply 18 5M units [http://www.energiekontor.de/aktuelles/aktuelles.php?nr=edf00e9d35b78dafd999da58f1673719] . The 5M is also expect to be deployed as part of the [http://www.alpha-ventus.de Alpha Ventus] demonstrator in the German North Sea, where six 5M units are proposed to be installed in 2009. In anticipation of future turbine supply shortages, RWE Innogy signed a memorandum of understanding with REpower for supply of 250 offshore units up to 2016 [http://renewenergy.wordpress.com/2008/02/25/repower-rwe-innogy-make-19-gw-deal/] .

ee also

*List of wind turbine manufacturers
*List of offshore wind farms
*Vestas
*Gamesa Corporación Tecnológica
*Wind Prospect
*Wind power in Germany
*Wind power in India
*Hallett Wind Farm
*Wind Turbine

References

External links

* [http://www.repower.de/index.php?id=347&L=1 Official website]