Alstom wins wind energy contract to supply wind turbines for a 21 MW wind farm in Finland

The agreement includes the supply, transportation and installation of seven ECO110 3.0 MW wind turbines and 12 years of operation and maintenance services.

The erection of the wind turbines will start in early 2013 with first commercial deliveries expected in June 2013. The ECO110 wind turbines for the Muukko wind farm will be built in Alstom’s wind turbine manufacturing facilities in Spain. The rotor diameter of each turbine is 110 meters and the hub height 90 meters¹. The ECO110 wind turbines are suited for medium to low wind sites and they will feature a Cold Climate Version to suit the Finnish winter conditions.

The Muukko wind farm will have a total installed power of 21 MW – more than 10% of the current installed wind capacity in Finland. By the end of 2011 there were 130 wind turbines installed in Finland for a total capacity of 197 MW. Finland is working to meet the government target of up to 2500 MW of wind energy in operation by 2020. There are currently more than 7800 MW wind power projects under development in Finland, of which about 3000 MW are offshore projects.

TuuliMuukko Oy is jointly owned by TuuliTapiola ky and Tuulisaimaa Oy. “TuuliMuukko has carefully selected the turbine supplier using the thorough technical know-how in Tuulisaimaa. We believe in Alstom’s reliability as a supplier to deliver this reference project in an exemplary way providing high availability of the turbines,” said Vesa Eskoli, chairman of the Board of TuuliMuukko Oy.

Alfonso Faubel, Senior Vice President of Alstom’s wind business, said: “This new contract in Finland strengthens our wind installed base in Europe, and reflects our customers’ interest in our innovative turbines suitable to extreme winter-weather conditions.”

The ECO110 wind turbines are part of Alstom’s proven ECO100 turbine platform, and the result of more than 30 years of expertise in wind turbine design. The ECO100 platform now has more than 350 MW installed or under construction worldwide and over 460,000 cumulative operating hours since 2008. The ECO100 platform includes three different versions for IEC² class 1 (ECO100), class 2 (ECO110) and class 3 (ECO122), designed to optimize the yield and capacity factor in all wind sites. All Alstom wind turbines are based upon the unique and proven ALSTOM PURE TORQUE® rotor support concept that protects the drive train from deflection loads, ensuring higher reliability and lower maintenance costs.

¹ Due to nearby airport restrictions in proximity to the Muukko wind farm, the maximum operating height of the turbines is 150 meters above the ground level. The maximum power capture of the wind turbines at this height will be achieved by raising the foundation.
² The wind classes for wind turbines are defined by the International Electrotechnical Commission’s (IEC) standard. The class one turbines are designed for high wind, class two for medium and class three for low wind.

Alstom designs, assembles and installs a wide range of onshore wind farms with a capacity ranging between 1.67 and 3 MW and currently manufactures the Haliade 150 – 6MW, the first and largest new generation offshore wind turbine. For over 30 years the company has been pioneering the development of wind turbine technology thanks to innovations such as the industry recognised unique rotor support design known as the ALSTOM PURE TORQUE® that protects the generator from bending loads. Alstom has installed or is currently constructing more than 2,200 wind turbines in over 120 wind farms, for a total capacity of more than 3,100 MW.

Kiinteistö-Tapiola has established a private equity fund, TuuliTapiola ky, which aims to invest about 100 million euros in the Finnish wind farm projects. The principles for Responsible Investment are an integral part of Tapiola’s operations. The fund applies these principles by supporting environmentally-friendly renewable energy solutions.

TuuliSaimaa has been established in 2009 in Lappeenranta, Finland, aiming to build ca 200 MW of wind power to Finland. The core compentence of TuuliSaimaa is in procuring suitable areas for wind power, permission procedures, planning and execution of the projects. TuuliSaimaa is actively developing tens of projects around Finland. The first wind farm to be executed is TuuliMuukko, which has gained all the permits in September 2011.

Wind power in Finland

1997: 12 MW
1998: 18 MW (+50 %)
1999: 39 MW (+116.7 %)
2000: 39 MW (- %)
2001: 39 MW (- %)
2002: 41 MW (+5.2 %)
2003: 51 MW (+24.4 %)
2004: 82 MW (+60.8 %)
2005: 82 MW (- %)
2006: 86 MW (+4.9 %)
2007: 110 MW (+28 %)
2008: 140 MW (+27.3 %)
2009: 147 MW (+5 %)
2010: 197 MW (+34.1 %)
2011: 197 MW (- %)

www.alstom.com