Bard Offshore 1 delays full operation start for 2012

(ADPnews) - Nov 3, 2010 - Bard offshore 1, a 400 MW wind project in the German North sea, will start operation in spring or summer 2012 instead of end-2011 due to poor weather conditions and delays in construction, Bettina Morlok, general manager of the wind farm's owner -- SuedWestStrom Windpark GmbH & Co KG, said today.

This is the second announcement for a hold-up of the facility's construction. The previous one was made in May this year, when a 90-meter (295.3 feet) high foundation tube fell on the construction ship Wind Lift 1.

The Bard offshore 1 wind project, located around 90 kliometres (55.92 miles) northwest of the island of Borkum in the North sea, will supply with power approximately 400,000 households, according to the company's estimates. Investment volume of the project amounts to EUR 1.6 billion (USD 2.2bn).

From the total of 80 generators, 12 have already been installed and eight of them have recently been put in test operation. The turbines that are already installed will start operation in mid-November 2010.

SuedWestStrom Windpark is a unit of German energy services provider Suedwestdeutsche Stromhandel GmbH, especially formed to engage in the wind power industry.

(EUR 1 = USD 1.400)

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