Vestas to install 29 MW of wind power in “lighthouse project” at German steel plant

Leading global wind turbine manufacturer Vestas has won an order to build a 29 megawatt (MW) wind power plant at a steel production facility in Lower Saxony, which will be operated by energy company Avacon Natur, a subsidiary of German utility E.ON. The order is a "lighthouse project" due to its unusual location on the steel producer's premises, said Avacon Natur project manager Torsten Hausmann. Limited space and industrial infrastructure have required Vestas to develop specific transportation and installation solutions in order not to disrupt ongoing steel production. The Danish wind turbine group will engineer, procure and construct turbines as well as foundations, roads and crane pads for the site-specific approach. The project is set to produce around 75 gigawatt-hours (GWh) per year. This would be enough energy to cover the consumption of over 20,000 German households.

Vestas has recently warned of "an urgent need for action" in Germany, calling for a national wind industry action plan as Germany’s onshore wind power's expansion came to a near standstill in the first half of 2019. After years of rapid growth, only 35 turbines were added in the first half of the year. Economy minister Peter Altmaier has invited wind power industry representatives to a crisis meeting on 5 September.