Inauguration ceremony of the Volkmarsdorf wind farm - the Swisspower Renewables Group's first repowering project
Inauguration ceremony of Volkmarsdorf wind farm by Ulrich Lange, Dr. Hans-Kaspar Scherrer, Lars Hieke, Rüdiger Fricke, Gerhard Radeck und Jörg Bochannek (l-r) © Swisspower Renewables GmbH
The Volkmarsdorf wind farm, the first repowering project of Swisspower Renewables Group, was officially inaugurated. With the start of commercial operation of six state-of-the-art GE 5.5 wind turbines comprising of a rotor diameter of 158 meters and a total height of 240 meters, Swisspower Renewables is enabling the expansion of a secure and sustainable energy generation in the region Helmstedt in the state of Lower Saxony.
From the start of construction in early 2023 until commercial operation in July 2024, 15 old wind turbines were replaced by 6 modern, more powerful turbines. Thanks to the great commitment of the entire team and the excellent cooperation with all project partners, the wind farm was completed on time despite partly challenging weather conditions throughout the construction phase.
With a total capacity of 33 MW, the wind farm will generate around 94 million kWh of renewable electricity per year - the equivalent of supplying around 26,000 two-person households. Repowering has therefore almost quadrupled energy production on the same area, resulting in CO₂ savings of 36,000 tons per year.
Particular attention was paid to the reuse of the old turbines and their components as part of repowering. Ten of the dismantled wind turbines were reassembled at new locations in other European countries. The remaining turbine components were carefully dismantled and serve as spare parts for the operation of other turbines. The material from the old foundations was reused for the construction of the new crane pads.
In addition to ecological aspects of sustainability, Swisspower Renewables is committed to a close and reliable cooperation with the people in the project region. As part of digital citizen participation interested citizens living close to the wind farm can invest into the wind farm and thus benefit directly from its revenues. In addition, in accordance with Section 6 of the EEG, Swisspower Renewables is offering a share of the revenues per kilowatt hour generated to the eligible surrounding municipalities.
Swisspower Renewables emphasizes its role as a reliable partner for the region also in the future. “We want to build on the positive experiences with the local community and operate the wind farm as a long-term, reliable partner in the region,” says Dr. Hans-Kaspar Scherrer, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Swisspower Renewables AG.
Special thanks are issued to all project partners and involved parties in the project, whose commitment and cooperation has been the foundation of the project’s success.
This inauguration marks the start of a new chapter for the wind farm in Volkmarsdorf. The Swisspower Renewables Group is looking forward to continuing this journey along with the region and its local partners
