REpower Systems AG installs prototype of the REpower 3.XM onshore wind turbine near Husum, Germany

Hamburg, 3 December 2008. REpower Systems AG (WKN 617703) has just installed the prototype for its new onshore wind turbine in the Südermarsch wind farm near Husum, Germany. The REpower 3.XM, with a rated output of 3.3 megawatts (MW), a rotor diameter of 104 metres and a hub height of 80 metres bridges the gap between the present onshore product series and the 5 MW and 6 MW offshore class. It is characterised by particularly low sound emissions.

The raising and the assembly of the rotor star marked the scheduled completion of construction work on the first REpower 3.XM in Südermarsch (Schleswig-Holstein) wind farm yesterday. The turbine was presented to the public at Husum WindEnergy in mid-September and will now undergo extensive testing for certification in accordance with IEC IIa and DIBt Windzone IV type classes (for use in average to strong wind environments). Matthias Schubert, CTO of REpower Systems AG: “In the 3.XM we are now meeting the wind market’s requirements for increasingly high-capacity and technologically advanced turbines.”

The design ensures that the typical Repower quality characteristics continue to be further developed: reliability, high availability and maximum energy yield. In addition to lower sound emissions, achieved with an aerodynamically optimised rotor blade developed by REpower, the focus of development was on maximum ease of maintenance: the wind turbine is characterised by the generous dimensions of its design and the easy accessibility of its components.

In addition to the prototype, a second REpower 3.XM is to be erected in Südermarsch wind farm in a few weeks. Both turbines were manufactured in Bremerhaven where REpower is currently initiating series production of the REpower 5M offshore turbine and assembly of the new 6M. The company is planning to produce 30 3.XM turbines in the next financial year and to increase capacities in the coming years significantly. In the medium term, there are plans to construct a new plant for production of REpower’s 3.XM in Osterrönfeld, in the Rendsburg-Eckernförde district of Schleswig-Holstein.

For more information on the REpower 3.XM, visit our website at www.repower.de.