(Wiesbaden, December 14th, 2012) Ten years ago, German project developer ABO Wind started to build wind farms in France. Today, 37 employees work at the three subsidiaries Toulouse, Orléans, and Nantes. France is the company’s most important foreign market. ABO Wind has commissioned 18 wind farms with a capacity of 162 megawatts there and has established itself as a reliable partner of municipalities, citizens, and investors. In a recent survey, 700 French mayors have voted ABO Wind SARL among the top wind power developers in the country.
The first ten years of the French subsidiary were turbulent. The planners quickly commissioned their first wind farm in the department of Moselle in 2005. ABO Wind had acquired the project rights, finalized the plans, obtained funding, found an investor, and built the six 1.5 megawatt turbines. "During this project, we learned everything we needed to know about building wind farms in France," recalls Andreas Höllinger. The current board member of ABO Wind was then concerned with building the French subsidiary. "Communication with the network operator works differently, we had to learn the peculiarities of French leasehold contracts, and liabilities differ in the respective construction contracts," he points out.
Soon after the subsidiary’s first steps, the parent company profited from the new pillar. "2007 and 2008 were great years," says Andreas Höllinger. Ten wind farms with 79 megawatts were connected to the grid by ABO Wind in France during this time. Meanwhile in Germany, wind energy went through a dip. "Our subsidiary’s success helped us quite a lot."
Later the relationship was reversed. Starting in 2009, the political situation in France complicated the development of wind energy. In Germany, however, things have been looking up since 2009. Recently, the development in France has given reason to celebrate as well. This year, ABO Wind has commissioned 38 megawatts and has obtained permits for an additional 58 megawatts, ready for construction. Over the next few years, ABO Wind plans to build an average of at least 40 megawatts per year.
In Germany, the nuclear phase-out has been agreed upon and is being implemented successively. France, on the other hand, continues to rely on this now dreaded technology. With nearly 80 percent, the country has the world's highest percentage of nuclear-generated electricity. However, as a representative survey in 2011 showed, 62 percent of the French population endorse a phase-out of nuclear energy within 30 years and another 15 percent support an even earlier phase-out.
The development of wind power in France has regained momentum. The goals of the French government are ambitious. By 2020, a capacity of 25,000 megawatts is planned to be installed. So far, less than 8,000 megawatts have been built. This creates many opportunities for developers such as ABO Wind – especially since the French legislation is always good for a surprise. "The interval between legislation changes is shorter than the planning cycle of a wind farm," said Höllinger. It often takes three to five years from acquisition to commissioning in France. Often the rules at the start of a project are different from the ones at the point of grid connection. Sometimes the regulations include mutually exclusive requirements. For a while it was not allowed for a wind farm to have a capacity higher than 12 megawatts. Later it was stated that a project must be comprised of at least five turbines. Only one thing is certain: Wind farm planning in France will stay interesting. "And we have already demonstrated that we can cope with that," Höllinger said. He sees the company well prepared for all eventualities thanks to an excellent reputation and a highly qualified and experienced staff.
Contact
ABO Wind AG, Alexander Koffka, Unter den Eichen 7, 65195 Wiesbaden, Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 6 11 / 2 67 65 – 515, fax: +49 (0) 6 11 / 2 67 65 – 599 alexander.koffka@abo-wind.de
(Wiesbaden, December 3rd 2012) The German regional Baden-Württemberg Pension Fund for Doctors, Dentists, and Veterinarians (BWVA) has acquired 400,000 new shares of ABO Wind AG at a unit price of 10.50 € from a capital increase. The equity investment follows a similar move in mid-2012, when the Frankfurt energy supplier Mainova acquired 717,000 new ABO Wind AG shares for 7.5 million €. The BWVA’s acquisition of shares boosts the balance sheet equity of the well-known renewable energy developer to circa 35 million €.
With now over 30 percent each, the families of the two company founders and directors, Dr. Jochen Ahn and Matthias Bockholt, together still hold the majority of ABO Wind AG shares. The remaining 25 percent of the shares are in wider ownership.
"The recent strengthening of ABO Wind equity creates the platform for further growth," says CEO Dr. Jochen Ahn. The restructuring of the European energy supply market focusing on renewable energy sources is the key driver in the company’s rapid development. In 2009, ABO Wind commissioned onshore wind farms with a generating capacity of 32 megawatts. In 2011, this expanded to 92.5 megawatts commissioned, and 150 megawatts is expected by the end of 2012. In addition to developing wind farms and – on a smaller scale - biogas plants, ABO Wind business interests include the operation and maintenance and system integration of renewable energy projects as well as energy storage technologies, resulting in a recently announced agreement with ITM Power to identify and develop wind to hydrogen projects in the UK, Ireland, and Germany.
Contact
ABO Wind AG, Alexander Koffka, Unter den Eichen 7, 65195 Wiesbaden, Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 6 11 / 2 67 65 – 515, fax: +49 (0) 6 11 / 2 67 65 – 599
alexander.koffka@abo-wind.de
(Glenough, 22nd June) ABO Wind hosted an Open Day event at Glenough Wind Farm on 16th June 2012, to coincide with Global Wind Day 2012. Despite the overcast conditions visitors were not dissuaded and coaches coming from Clonoulty / Rossmore GAA club up to the site were full to the brim all day long. ABO Wind Ireland Director Ute Schulmeister said “The day was a great success with an estimated 750 to 800 members of the public visiting the wind farm throughout the course of the day”.
There was children’s entertainment: face-painting, a bouncy castle, ‘hand-printing’ a turbine. Refreshments, sandwiches and the local band “Fluting Around Rossmore” went down very well with everyone, as did the guided tours of the wind farm and the possibility for people to see inside the base of a turbine and ask the two Nordex turbine technicians all kinds of question about the machines. It’s fair to say an enjoyable and informative day was had by all.
Special thanks to Cllr Michael Fitzgerald, Cathaoirleach, South Tipperary County Council for officially opening the wind farm, to Philip Quirke (Clonoulty Rossmore GAA) for use of the club’s car park, Jerry Ryan Jnr (J&K Coaches) for providing the coaches and to Townhouse Deli for the lovely food.
The wind farm was built last year by ABO Wind and comprises 13 wind turbines each of 125m blade tip height with total collective installed capacity of 32.5 megawatts. The wind farm produces some 110,000 megawatt-hours annually without CO2 emissions – enough electricity for nearly 18,000 households.
ABO Wind built the Gortahile Wind Farm in Co. Laois in 2010 and are currently constructing the Gibbet Hill Wind Farm near Bunclody in Co. Wexford. ABO Wind have been working in Ireland since 2008.
Further information:
ABO Wind, Sebastian Thedering
Email: sebastian.thedering@abo-wind.com
www.abowind.com
• ABO Wind increases profit and turnover
• Germany is the engine behind the boom
• New planning offices to open in Nuremberg and Hannover
• Largest ABO Wind-farm erected in Ireland
• Spanish 50 megawatt project sold
• Biogas feeding-in to the natural gas grid
(Wiesbaden, May 23rd, 2012) The political will to create a sustainable foundation for Europe’s energy supply, spurs the business of ABO Wind. The main focus of the company is project development of in-land wind farms. The annual net profit of ABO Wind AG has reached a new record value in 2011 with roughly 7.5 million euro – compared to 3.2 million euro in the previous year. The high revenues benefited from the low level of interest rates. The result of the entire group’s profit and loss account is also worth mentioning with around 4.2 million euro. In the business year 2010, due to a one-time-effect, the entire group’s profit had been even higher with roughly 6.9 million euro.
From an economic standpoint, the on-shore use of wind power is by far and large the most cost-efficient way of producing climate-friendly energy without the risks of radiation. Electricity produced through off-shore solar or wind power is significantly more expensive. Therefore, the core business of ABO Wind is the key technology for the transition to renewable energies. Particularly in the middle and south of Germany, where ABO Wind can draw on long-term co-operations and good credentials, the expansion of wind energy has considerably gained momentum during the past months.
The rapid development of wind power technology enables the industry to profitably produce energy, even at locations with mediocre wind conditions. A single modern wind turbine with a hub height of 120 to 140 meters and a rotor diameter of around 100 meters, produces enough electricity to supply 1,500 average households. Many regions – also those far removed from the wind-rich coastal areas – in Germany have the potential to contribute towards climate protection and the transition to renewable energies, while at the same time strengthening the regional added value chain. More and more citizens and politicians are willing to make use of this potential and also tolerate a change of scenery.
Growing even more rapidly than the number of projects, is the demand from investors who wish to oper-ate wind farms. More and more municipal utilities make use of the transition to renewable energies to build their own production capacities. The de-centralized and environmentally friendly wind farms offer utilities an image promoting and long-term sustainable investment. The market prices for professionally planned wind farms have stabilized on a high level.
Already for roughly two years, Germany has been the engine behind the positive business development of ABO Wind. In this time frame, the company has tripled the number of employees who take care of planning, construction and grid connection for German wind farms to currently 46 colleagues. In total, ABO Wind today employs nearly 200 colleagues in Europe and Latin-America. In Germany, this growth will increase even more during the coming months: It is planned to open new offices in Hannover and Nuremberg and to expand the office in Berlin. The success of ABO Wind is based on advancing the ex-pansion of renewable energies through close co-operation between competent, reliable experts and local authorities. In order to do so, a strong regional presence is essential.
Over the course of last year, ABO Wind has brought wind farms with a nominal capacity of more than 100 megawatts online – among then, the largest project of company history in Irish Glenough (32.5 megawatts).
The French business, which has been hampered through numerous objections over the past years, has been pleasantly developing during the past months. A 16 megawatts project in Lorraine is currently under construction and will be brought online this summer. More projects will follow short-term.
In Ireland, the construction of a 15 megawatt wind farm will also begin this year – the soon to be third Irish wind farm of ABO Wind will be commissioned in 2013.
In Great Britain, ABO Wind profited from bringing its first wind farm online in the Scottish Highlands in 2011. This success now helps in the acquisition of new projects. The Planning team in Edinburg has doubled in size within one year to currently six employees. For the year 2013 and following, the realiza-tion of more projects on the island is to be expected.
In Spain, ABO Wind has sold a 50 megawatt wind farm in 2011 to a local investor in Andalusia. He will now erect the project and make it operational within the year. Because the government, as of now, is not bringing any new regulations for a feed-in tariff into effect, the development of new projects in Spain is currently severely impeded.
Regulatory frameworks for the feed-in of electricity continue to remain missing in Argentina as well and as a result, the expansion of wind power is also suffering here. Due to excellent and favorable wind con-ditions, electricity, which the country desperately needs, could be produced with ease. ABO Wind has secured locations which would allow for several hundred megawatts to be erected, once the necessary framework conditions are created.
In Bulgaria, ABO Wind is currently erecting its first wind farm. The two 2 megawatt turbines in the south-eastern tail of the Balkan mountain range are close to being brought online.
In the smaller business field of bio energy, ABO Wind for the first time in 2011 erected a biogas plant in Saxony-Anhalt which will feed into the natural gas grid. The technological implementation of the direct feed-in is still in the works, until then, the biogas produced will be transformed locally into energy and heat. The team, which was expanded to four colleagues, follows several interesting leads with the goal to erect more biogas plants on the basis of the renewable energy act, which was adjusted in 2011 and now rewards a higher percentage of manure and better efficiency.
After the 100 megawatts of wind power, which ABO Wind erected in 2011, more significant growth is to be expected for the current and throughout the coming years. In 2011 alone, ABO Wind acquired projects with a capacity of 600 megawatts throughout Europe – 250 megawatts of which in Germany. In total, the company currently works on European wind farms with more than 1,500 megawatts. In 2012, the corpo-rate-group will likely erected 140 megawatts. ABO Wind is prepared to help shape the transition to re-newable energies in Germany and beyond during the coming years. In recent years, it was possible to considerably strengthen competencies in all departments of the company. Based on this foundation, ABO Wind is capable to continue increasing the project volumes in the coming years and to expand its busi-ness to other countries. Preparations to do so have already begun.
Questions may be directed at:
ABO Wind, Alexander Koffka, Unter den Eichen 7, 65195 Wiesbaden,
Tel.: 06 11 / 2 67 65 – 515 , Fax: 06 11 / 2 67 65 – 599, alexander.koffka@abo-wind.de
• Guided tours and kids entertainment
• The event is part of Global Wind Day 2012 (www.globalwindday.org)
(Glenough, 18th May) ABO Wind is hosting an Open Day at Glenough Wind Farm offer-ring guided tours across the wind farm, including the inside view of a turbine, as well as kids entertainment. Refreshments and light snacks are available. The event is the offi-cial opening of the facility and part of Global Wind Day 2012.
The wind farm was built last year by ABO Wind Ireland Limited and comprises 13 wind turbines each of 125m blade tip height and total collectiveinstalled capacity of 32.5 megawatt. The wind farm produces some 110,000 megawatt-hours annually without CO2 emissions – enough electricity for nearly 18,000 households.
The owner of the wind farm is ABO Invest AG, a German publicly quoted holding com-pany, which operates wind power plants throughout Europe for the power generation from renewable energy sources. The shares are dealt at the Frankfurt stock-exchange. The shareholders are some thousand citizens, willing to contribute to a sustainable en-ergy supply.
It is not possible to access the wind farm sites in private cars.
A bus transfer will be organised from 10:30 am –3:30 pm (every 20 min).
Car parking / Bus Pick-up Point: GAA Club Clonoulty / Rossmore, Hillview, Clonoulty, Tipperary, N: 52°36‘41.31“ W: 7°57‘23.44“
Further information:
ABO Wind, Sebastian Thedering, +353 (0) 1 66362-11
sebastian.thedering@abo-wind.com
Hamburg, 24 January 2012. Wind turbine manufacturer Nordex has been awarded a contract by project developer ABO Wind for the construction of a further two wind farms with a total of 13 N117/2400 onshore turbines. Located in the German regions of Central Hesse and Franconia, the planned farms will be going on grid this year after the project finance has been finalised. With two wind farms already under construction and also located in Central Hesse and Franconia, the project volume being jointly executed by Nordex and ABO Wind will thus rise to 51.2 megawatts this year.
In awarding these contracts, ABO Wind has opted for solutions which Nordex has specifically developed for regions characterised by lighter winds. The project comprises eight N100/2500 and 13 N117/2400 turbines, which with rotor blades measuring almost 60 metres are amongst the most efficient in their class. As part of the wind farms will be located in forests, hybrid towers with an above-average height of 141 meters are being used in all projects to optimise energy yield.
“Germany is of crucial importance for Nordex as our home market is stable and continuing to grow. What is more, the fact that our long-standing customer ABO Wind has opted in favour of the new light wind systems marks a key success,” says Lars Bondo Krogsgaard, CCO at Nordex SE. Over the past few years, Nordex has also installed numerous wind farms for ABO Wind in France, Ireland and the United Kingdom. “We are currently seeing growing interest in additions to wind power in the southern half of Germany in particular,” reports Dr. Jochen Ahn, a member of ABO Wind AG’s management board. “Wind turbines such as the N100 and the N117, which also achieve high yields in non-coastal locations, are helping to spur the success of the new energy policy.”
As one of the technological leaders in multi-megawatt wind power systems, Nordex is benefiting from the trend in favour of large-scale turbines. The range comprises one of the world’s largest series-produced wind power systems (N80/2500, N90/2500, N100/2500, N117/2400). To date, over 1,700 turbines of this type have been installed around the world. This experience with multi-megawatt turbines gives Nordex a decisive lead over most of its competitors. Nordex has installed a total of around 4,700 turbines with an aggregate capacity of more than 7,100 MW all around the world. With exports accounting for more than 90 percent of its business, Nordex SE plays a key role in international high-growth regions. The Company has offices and subsidiaries in 19 countries around the world with a total global headcount of over 2,600 employees.
ABO Wind is successfully developing wind farms in seven European countries as well as in Argentina and Uruguay. 185 employees work on projects, organising the acquisition of the land, applications for building permits and finance as well as handling ongoing technical and commercial operations management. ABO Wind has installed a good 300 wind power systems with a capacity of 550 megawatts since 1996. Initiated by ABO Wind, the listed company ABO Invest AG (WKN: A1EWXA) operates an international portfolio of European wind farms.
For more information, please contact:
Nordex SE
Ralf Peters
Telephone: +49 40 300 30 – 1000, Telefax: – 1333
ABO Wind AG
Alexander Koffka
Telephone: +49 611 / 267 65 – 515, Telefax: -599
alexander.koffka@abo-wind.de
