Germany: City of Bedburg and RWE celebrate inauguration of Königshovener Höhe wind farm

NRW Environmental and Climate Protection Minister Johannes Remmel today officially inaugurated the Königshovener Höhe wind farm together with the Mayor of Bedburg, Sascha Solbach and Hans Bünting, Chairman of RWE Innogy’s Board of Directors. At the same time, the wind farm received the award as “climate protection pioneer” from Wolfgang Jung, Member of the Board of Directors of Klima Expo.NRW. 21 wind power systems were erected and taken into service step-by-step within a period of only two years. The systems have been running in normal operation since the end of 2015. The investment volume of the joint venture project undertaken by the city of Bedburg (49%) and RWE (51%) totals some € 110 million.

Minister Johannes Remmel said: “Here on the former opencast mining site we can see optimum structural change at work. The 21 wind turbines stand for future-proof energy supply and actively practised climate protection made in NRW. We have to keep taking the development of renewable energies forward and support this with our NRW climate protection plan – for the population, municipalities, companies and for all those wishing to get actively involved in the joint venture climate protection project.”

Peter Terium, Chief Executive Officer of RWE AG, said: “We are taking the energy transition forward with projects like Königshovener Höhe: At a capacity of some 1 GW, we are ranked among the top 5 in the sector of offshore wind in Europe today and belong to the largest European operators of onshore wind farms. The Königshovener Höhe wind farm is special because of its location on a reclaimed site right next to the opencast mine: Like hardly any other project, this wind farm stands for the partnership of conventional and renewable generation and for the structural change in the Rhenish lignite mining area.”

Hans Bünting, Chairman of RWE Innogy’s Board of Directors, added: “The production figures of the new wind farm also speak for themselves. In fact, we are well on target for 2015 with over 140,000 megawatt-hours of green power produced. Investments in wind farms pay off. And the Rhenish lignite mining area is pretty close to our heart also as a site for wind power. This is where we want to continue growing, and partners are always welcome. In this context, the cooperation with the city of Bedburg is exemplary.”

Sascha Solbach, Mayor of the City of Bedburg, said: “The Königshovener Höhe wind farm has literally been erected on the back of our lignite mining area. The former opencast mine now provides the foundation for our wind turbines and is even a site for KlimaExpo.NRW. We are very proud of this and are grateful for this award. These are important signals for us that the structural change has arrived in our city and that we have taken successful steps with our investments towards the future. Apart from the large-scale projects in energy production we are focussing with partners like RWE on ecological and economic projects ensuring sustainable and secure energy supplies for our city. The climate protection estate currently being built at Bedburg is also one of these projects. Developing renewable energies and using resources appreciatively are the best preconditions for Bedburg’s future in these times of change.”

Wolfgang Jung, Member of the Board of Directors of KlimaExpo.NRW, said: “The Königshovener Höhe wind farm is not only impressive because of its significant capacity, but also due to its extraordinary partnership and commitment to joint investment. The city of Bedburg and energy utility RWE use the know-how gathered in many years of cooperation to take the development of renewable energies forward and invest € 110 million in the sustainable development of Bedburg.”

Kai Froböse, Managing Director of Senvion Germany added: "The Senvion 3.2M114 provides optimum yield for sites with medium wind speeds - it therefore perfectly fits the site and will profitably and reliably reach peak values of more than 3,000 full load hours. This project shows: Wind energy is competitive - anywhere in Germany."

The entire wind farm with its capacity of some 67 megawatts is located on a reclaimed site of the Garzweiler opencast mine. The wind power systems manufactured by Senvion have a total height of 200 meters and an installed capacity of 3.2 megawatts each. The Königshovener Höhe wind farm produces enough electricity every year to supply the equivalent of some 58,000 residential households with environmentally benign power.