GE to Power 175 MW Wind Farm in Sweden With its Cypress Turbines

GE Renewable Energy will supply 33 of its 5.3 MW Cypress wind turbines, its largest onshore wind turbine, for the 175 MW Björkvattnet wind farm in Sweden

GE Renewable Energy, the renewable arm of GE, has announced that it will supply 33 of its 5.3 MW Cypress wind turbines, its largest onshore wind turbine in the field, for the 175 MW Björkvattnet wind farm in Sweden. The company will also provide a 25-years Full Services Agreement. The project was developed by Vindparken and WindSpace, with support from GE Renewable Energy, and sold to InfraVia Capital Partners, a French infrastructure investor.

Located approximately 470 km north of Stockholm, the 175 MW wind farm will generate enough renewable energy to power the equivalent of 175,000 homes in Sweden and will play a significant role supporting the country’s target to become fossil fuel-free by 2040. The project is expected to reach commercial operations by the end of 2020.

Peter Wells, CEO for Onshore Wind in the European region of GE Renewable Energy, said that the Björkvattnet wind farm is an exciting opportunity for GE, and our Cypress platform is ideally suited for the project.

“Cypress is evolving into a versatile solution well suited for Europe’s varied terrain and wind conditions, including the Nordics, Germany, Spain, Italy and Austria, and we look forward to bringing it to Sweden for the first time. By working across the onshore wind value chain to optimise value for our customers, we will help reach its renewable energy targets.”

Announced last year by GE, the Cypress platform is the most powerful onshore wind turbine in operation today. It enables significant Annual Energy Production improvements, increased efficiency in serviceability, improved logistics and siting potential, and ultimately more value for customers. The unique two-piece blade design enables blades to be manufactured at even longer lengths, while improving logistics to drive costs down and offer more siting options, in locations previously inaccessible.

Jens Elton Andersen, WindSpace, expressed his delighted to have the opportunity to enter into a partnership with Vindparken, InfraVia and GE on this landmark project.

“The project is a great example of bringing together the right teams and competencies for successful execution. In the constantly changing market, there is a growing need for new sophisticated technical, commercial and collaborative capabilities to maximise value and execution certainty through the development of new renewable energy projects. A landmark project also for the green transition.”

GE provided the project with development support, off-take solutions, technical and commercial optimisation, and equity syndication expertise through GE Energy Financial Services (GE EFS).