- EPURON reaches key milestone for the largest wind project in the Southern Hemisphere
Hamburg, 10 June 2009: Conergy subsidiary EPURON GmbH has taken a significant step toward realisation of the biggest wind farm in Australia: on 3 June 2009, the government of New South Wales granted an approval for the first phase of the Silverton Wind Farm. The planning approval covers the installation of 282 wind turbines, which would generate enough energy to supply electricity to 200,000 households, near Silverton in far western New South Wales.
“The approval is another milestone on the way to realisation of this megaproject, which is certainly one of the highlights in EPURON's 10-year history”, says Joachim Müller, Managing Director at EPURON GmbH. “The Silverton Wind Farm joint venture will now take the next steps, namely to organise the power purchase agreements and the financing.”
The second phase of Silverton Wind Farm comprises another 316 wind turbines and is also in the approval process. With 598 turbines in total, Silverton Wind Farm could ultimately cover around 4.5 percent of New South Wales' energy requirements. According to Nathan Rees, Premier of New South Wales, this means that the wind farm is to assume a key role in this state's energy supply. With construction and operation of the project bringing around hundreds of new jobs, Rees also welcomes the positive effects on the regional economy.
“During project development, we have been in contact with the government of New South Wales from the very beginning – and we would now like to thank everyone who has supported us so far. We recognise the support of the local residents and broader community, as well as the positive contribution from the Government of New South Wales”, says Martin Poole, Managing Director at EPURON Australia. “We can all be proud of having contributed to what is currently the largest wind project in the Southern Hemisphere.”
Silverton Wind Farm is a joint venture between EPURON Pty Ltd and Macquarie Capital Wind Fund Pty Ltd, a Macquarie managed fund jointly owned by Macquarie Capital Group Ltd and a subsidiary of Martifer Group specifically for the development of the Silverton project.
About Conergy
Since its founding in 1998, Hamburg-based Conergy AG has sold more than a gigawatt in renewable energy, making it one of the biggest European suppliers of solar energy and other renewable energies, and a world leader in solar system integration. Of the one gigawatt in renewable energies, Conergy has installed more than 400 megawatts in its major projects, Of the total one gigawatt, 200 megawatts falls to its wind energy park projects and 800 to its globally marketed solar modules. According to the German Solar Industry Association (BSW) this is just under a fifth of the entire installed photovoltaic output in Germany. Calculative one in ten modules worldwide was produced, sold or installed by Conergy.
Listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange since 2005, the group pursues a global growth strategy, The company now produces, installs and designs solar power systems and wind turbines in around 15 countries. The Conergy Group is represented with its own branches on four continents.
About EPURON
EPURON GmbH is one of the leading companies for project development and structured financing as well as operational management in the renewable energy sector The company develops, finances and implements wind farms, solar thermal power stations as well as bioenergy plants. Since its foundation in 1998, EPURON has financed and implemented over 90 large-scale projects with an investment volume of over 800 million Euros. Its clients include institutional and private investors around the globe. EPURON is a member of the listed company Conergy AG.
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