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SALZBERGEN, GERMANY, March 7, 2005: -- Underscoring Belgium's rapidly growing interest in wind power, the country's newest wind project was inaugurated on March 4. Based on five GE Energy 1.5-megawatt wind turbines, the Perwez Wind Farm is located near the city of Perwez in the Walloon region, about 50 kilometers southeast of Brussels. The new turbines will add 7.5 megawatts of wind-generated electricity to the Belgian grid. The country's installed wind capacity at the end of 2004 was 95 megawatts, but that total is expected to grow to 668 megawatts by the end of 2008, according to projections by the Danish consulting firm BTM Consult. One of the first wind turbines in Belgium's Walloon region was a 600-kilowatt machine installed at Perwez in 2000. The Perwez project is being developed by Air Energy s.a., a company specializing in the development and operation of power plants based on renewable energy, primarily wind power. The construction and operation of the wind farm will be handled by Les Vents de Perwez, s.a., a joint venture between Air Energy and Electrabel, the largest power company in Belgium. Estimated annual generation of the five new wind turbines is approximately 16.8 million kilowatt-hours, or enough power for more than 3,500 households. The Perwez project and other new renewable energy development is being encouraged by a "green certificate" program introduced by the Belgian national and the Flemish and Wallonian regional governments in 2002. GE Energy's 1.5-megawatt wind turbines are among the industry's most widely utilized megawatt-class wind turbines, with more than 2,500 installed around the world. In addition to supplying the wind turbines, GE will install and commission the machines, and will provide operation and maintenance services for five years. "Wind energy remains the fastest growing energy technology in the world, and will be an important part of the energy mix of the future," said Mark Little, vice president-power generation for GE Energy. "Western Europe, especially, has embraced wind energy. In Denmark and parts of Germany, from 20-35% of the electricity generation mix already is being supplied by wind energy. As projects like Perwez clearly demonstrate, wind power is rapidly gaining momentum in Belgium as well." With wind turbine design, manufacturing and/or assembly facilities in Germany, Spain and the United States, GE Energy's current wind energy portfolio includes wind turbines with rated outputs ranging from 1.5 to 3.6 megawatts, and support services ranging from project development assistance to operation and maintenance. The company's knowledge base includes the development and/or installation of more than 7,100 wind turbines with a total rated capacity of 5,600 megawatts. About GE EnergyGE Energy (www.gepower.com) is one of the world's leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technology, with 2004 revenues of $17.3 billion. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, GE Energy provides equipment, service and management solutions across the power generation, oil and gas, transmission and distribution, distributed power and energy rental industries.For more information, contact:Dennis MurphyGE Energy +1 678 844 6948 dennis.murphy@ps.ge.com |
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GE Energy's Wind Turbines Powering Latest Wind Project In Belgium |