BayWa r.e. is announcing the successful completion of a new wind farm in the Austrian Alps built by its wholly owned subsidiary ECOwind. The Fürstkogel wind farm was constructed in the communities of Fischbach and Stanz in Steiermark at 1,400 metres above sea level, equipped with five type V126 Vesta turbines, and has a total capacity of 17.25 MW.
Now that ECOwind has completed the complex project development and construction phases, the plant has been sold to a German insurance company advised by Encavis Asset Management AG (Encavis AM). The specialist asset manager belongs to Encavis AG, which is well known on the stock market and is one of the leading independent electricity producers (IPP) in Europe. Encavis AM won the bid against other competitors in the bidding process.
Matthias Taft, Member of the Board responsible for the energy business, BayWa AG, said that “Due to its special location at an altitude of more than 1,400 metres above sea level, the wind farm Fürstkogel is a really impressive project. Thanks to the corresponding expertise of BayWa r.e.’s subsidiary ECOwind and an outstanding team effort, the wind farm was built as scheduled in just six months. We are pleased to have now sold this installation after its successful completion and recent start to its operation.”
Fürstkogel joins the ranks of other key projects by BayWa r.e., including the wind farms “Pongratzer Kogel,” “Herrenstein” and “Steinriegel,” one of the largest European wind farms in the Alps.
“The wind farm in the Fischbacher Alps once again shows our skill at dealing with the complex demands of wind energy projects in semi-mountainous regions where temperatures, wind, snow, ice and altitude pose particular challenges for people, machines and equipment,” explains Johann Janker, managing director of ECOwind Handels- und Wartungs-GmbH. “In addition to the specially reinforced floor construction which was necessary to compensate for the gradient which was steep in parts, it was the close teamwork of construction teams that laid the groundwork for a smooth build. In future we will also be acquiring and developing further wind projects in Austria.”
The Fürstkogel wind farm is already the fourth ECOwind project in the last six years which has been bought by Encavis AM and its investors.
“With BayWa r.e and its Austrian subsidiary ECOwind we can rely on high quality and solid projects. That’s why we’re particularly delighted to have once again successfully concluded a transaction with the leading developer of renewable energy plants and a long-standing business partner,” says Karsten Mieth, CEO of Encavis Asset Management AG, of the renewed partnership.
The Fürstkogel wind farm will generate around 45,000 MWh of green energy per year and therefore contribute to Austria’s climate change targets. The plant is connected to the electricity grid via an almost 15 km cable to the Birkfeld junction station.
ECOwind will also have responsibility for the technical operation of these wind parks. Running the plants in such an exposed location requires the experience and expertise that the company brings.
