Nordex: New orders from China

Hamburg, November 1, 2007. Nordex’s business in China is continuing to grow, with two new contracts for a total of 28 megawatt-class S77 turbines received. To be installed in the province of Ningxia, the two wind farms are scheduled to be hooked up to the grid at the beginning of 2008. The customer is the regional utility Ningxia Electric Power Grou

With a total volume of around EUR 22 million, the contract covers the delivery of the nacelles and the rotors, both of which Nordex will be producing locally in China. The nacelles are being assembled at the Yinchuan (Ningxia) facility, in which Ningxia Electric Power holds a 40 percent stake. Nordex will be producing the rotor blades at its own factory in the Eastern Chinese province of Shandong.

With a nominal output of 1,500 kilowatts, the Nordex S77 is one of the largest turbines available in China. By contrast, the wind turbines installed in China in 2006 had an average installed capacity of around 930 kilowatts. Given its large rotor diameter of 77 meters, the S77 achieves high yields in even medium wind conditions. At the locations of the two new wind farms, the average wind speed is 6 – 7 meters per second.

China is considered to be one of the most important growth markets in the wind power industry as well. With a global share of around 10 percent, it is already one of the five largest markets. Experts project triple-digit growth rates in the future, meaning that China’s importance is set to continue rising.