REPOWER

Lucera wind farm: Repower's latest power plant

VISION...

…is needed more than ever before. A Repower employee looks over the 26-MW wind farm in the hills of Apulia.

THE WIND IS BLOWING FROM LUCERA

THE LATEST REPOWER WIND FARM GETS OFF TO A PROMISING START

Thirteen new wind turbines have been turning in the wind in Italy since the autumn of 2012. At the beginning of last November, the latest and largest Repower wind farm officially went into operation two months ahead of schedule. With an installed capacity of 26 megawatts, it generates power for around 20,000 Italian households every year.

The 80-metre high wind masts tower above Lucera; each individual rotor blade is 45 metres long. In the first half of 2013 the wind turbines already generated more than 28 gigawatt hours of electricity and are thus on track to exceed the expected output of 52 gigawatt hours per year.

It's no coincidence that Repower chose the windy location of Lucera in the southern Italian province of Foggia as the site for the wind farm – wind is in plentiful supply! In addition to the excellent wind conditions, another determining factor in site selection was the good capabilities for connection to the national transmission grid. A 14-km long underground medium-voltage power line and a new transformation substation connect the wind farm to the high-voltage network of grid operator TERNA.

A REPOWER PROJECT FROM START TO FINISH

Repower developed the project on its own starting from the planning and the approval process through to supplier selection and the award of contracts. Following completion of the wind farm in Corleto Perticara (Basilicata) in 2004 – Repower was the first Swiss company at that time to create a wind farm in Italy – and the acquisition of an interest in the Giunchetto wind farm (Sicily) in 2010, this is the third Repower wind power project carried out in Italy.

Looking back: 2006 was the first time Repower started considering the idea of building a wind farm in the region of Apulia. Following intensive project work, environmental approval was granted in 2009 and was followed by the “Autorizzazione Unica” in the spring of 2011 when the region of Apulia gave Repower the go-ahead to construct and operate the wind farm. Construction began at the end of July 2011 and all of the wind turbines had already been erected just one year later. The total cost of the project was just under EUR 42 million, which was below the budgeted amount of EUR 45 million. In addition to the income from electricity sales, Repower benefits from the allocation of tradable green electricity certificates for the wind farm.

REPOWER GENERATES MORE POWER FROM WIND THAN IN ALL OF SWITZERLAND

Since the wind farm in Lucera started up operation, Repower operates five wind farms in Germany and Italy. With total installed capacity of 73 megawatts and around 140 gigawatt hours of annual wind power output, Repower generates more wind power than in all of Switzerland (approx. 92 GWh). And wind power will also play an important role for Repower in the future: the company has a target output of 100-150 megawatts in this area. It is therefore currently assessing the expansion of existing wind farms and the development of new wind farms in Germany and Italy.

LUCERA ON VIDEO AND IN AUDIO

Repower introduced its wind farm at two events in Italy and via various media. The project, for example, was part of an exhibition at the Triennale in Milan and at the “Festival della Scienza” in Genoa. The exhibition's website (www.hominesenergetici.it) includes a section about the wind farm. Two films have also been made about the wind farm, with one portraying its layout and embedding in the environment in 3D and the other the construction of a wind turbine in fast motion. Both videos can be viewed at www.onlinereport.repower.com.

A Lucera app is also available: users can take a touch-operated tour of the wind farm and receive real-time information on its capacity and electricity generation. An original educational game lets users virtually put the turbines into motion to generate electricity and thus gain a fun look at how a wind farm works. The “Windfarm” app is available for downloading from the app store.

INTERVIEW WITH CLARA RISSO, HEAD OF RENEWABLE ENERGIES, REPOWER ITALY

What was the highlight of this extremely successful project for you?

One of the many highlights was the construction of the wind farm itself. In record time of just slightly more than one year, up to 150 workers handled more than 15,000 cubic metres of concrete and 12,000 tonnes of steel and installed 150 kilometres of cable – all within more than 50,000 man-hours. There was not a single accident, something that can't be taken for granted at a major construction site. The team was also unfazed by unusual events: work had to be suspended once temporarily due to snow and the construction of two wind turbines was delayed because we found the remains of kilns from the Neolithic period. But we were able to find a good solution to protect the ancient findings with an archaeologist we called in to help: they are now part of a recently opened exhibition in a museum in a community near Lucera.

How is the Lucera wind farm managed and maintained?

The operation of the wind farm is a good example of how the Repower office in Milan cooperates with the control centre of the Teverola gas-fired combined-cycle power plant, which monitors the plant. The staff in Teverola also take care of the plant's maintenance. This allows us to make the best possible use of synergies within the company. The farm generally generates electricity whenever there is enough wind and it is possible for power to be fed into the grid. There are thus no limits to power generation as long as technical availability is ensured.

How was your cooperation with the local authorities?

From the very outset, Repower has sought dialogue with the various stakeholder groups. As a result, we forged a constructive relationship with the authorities based on trust, which is what made the construction of the wind farm possible. As compensation measures for the project, we gave the communities affected two electric cars to use for their benefit. We also performed repair work on two sports facilities.