Siemens Receives Third Order for Direct Drive Wind Turbines in the U.S.

ORLANDO, Fla., March 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Siemens Energy has been awarded another order from Minnesota Power for 35 3-megawatt (MW) SWT-3.0-101 direct drive wind turbines for its Bison 2 wind energy center near Center, North Dakota. The scope of supply for the wind power plant includes the transportation, erection and commissioning of the 35 wind turbines, as well as a three-year service and maintenance agreement. Deliveries of the wind turbines will commence in August 2012, and the wind power plant is scheduled to be commissioned by the end of 2012.  This order is the third contract award for Siemens direct drive wind turbines in the U.S., including Minnesota Power's Bison 1 North Dakota and Oklahoma Gas & Electric's Crossroads Oklahoma wind power plants.

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"Our direct drive turbines feature only half the parts required for a conventional geared wind turbine and a significantly smaller number of moving parts, allowing for increased output and improved maintainability," said Jan Kjaersgaard, VP and general manager of Siemens' Americas Wind Power business. "Because of these benefits, there is great interest in this new technology and we are very pleased to deliver this highly innovative and advanced technology to a forward-looking utility like Minnesota Power." The Bison 1 and 2 wind energy centers combined have the potential to provide clean electricity to more than 50,000 homes in Minnesota.

The SWT-3.0-101 direct drive wind turbine with a rated power output of 3 MW and a rotor diameter of 101 meters offers an innovative direct drive concept with a permanent magnet generator. The first prototypes of the SWT-3.0-101 have been running for more than a year and are meeting all expectations in terms of reliability and performance.

"We are pleased to utilize Siemens' innovative direct drive wind turbine technology to unlock the superior wind resources of North Dakota. It reflects our commitment to continually improve and provide greater value to our customers and shareholders for years to come," said Al Rudeck, Vice President of Minnesota Power Generation.

In addition to the 3-MW direct drive turbine, Siemens launched the SWT-2.3-113 gearless wind turbine with a rating of 2.3 MW and a rotor diameter of 113 meters for low to moderate wind conditions in March 2011. The company also expects to launch a new 6-MW direct drive wind turbine by the end of the year, which will be particularly suitable for large offshore wind power plants.

Wind power is part of Siemens' Environmental Portfolio. In fiscal 2010, revenue from the Portfolio totaled about EUR28 billion, making Siemens the world's largest supplier of ecofriendly technologies. In the same period, our products and solutions enabled customers to reduce their carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 270 million tons, an amount equal to the total annual CO2 emissions of the megacities Hong Kong, London, New York, Tokyo, Delhi and Singapore.

The Siemens Energy Sector is the world's leading supplier of a complete spectrum of products, services and solutions for the generation, transmission and distribution of power and for the extraction, conversion and transport of oil and gas. In fiscal 2010 (ended September 30), the Energy Sector had revenues of approximately EUR25.8 billion and received new orders totaling more than EUR30.1 billion and posted a profit of more than EUR3.5 billion. On September 30, 2010, the Energy Sector had a work force of more than 88,000. Further information is available at: www.siemens.com/energy.

SOURCE Siemens Energy

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