GE Renewable Energy, the division of multinational conglomerate General Electric, has been selected by energy company European Energy to supply 22 Cypress onshore wind turbines units for three wind farms in Lithuania.
The upcoming project will increase GE Renewable Energy’s position in the country: the deal concerns three wind farms, located approximately 80 kilometres away from the capital Vilnius and it also includes a full-service contract for 25 years.
The 121-megawatt (MW) project, which will use 22 GE Cypress onshore wind turbine units, will add 23 per cent of green power capacity to the country’s current wind power production. Thanks to this project, GE Renewable Energy’s Cypress turbine enjoys a growing position in the country with two major orders booked this year.
“We’re delighted to partner with European Energy on this project, and we are thrilled they’ve selected our Cypress platform,” said Peter Wells, GE’s CEO of Onshore Wind in Europe. “European Energy is a fast-growing and innovative player in Europe with whom we have built a very strong relationship in multiple countries by now. Together we will bring additional clean, affordable, renewable energy to Lithuania.”
The Cypress turbines will be operated by energy company European Energy at 5.5 MW, with a rotor diameter of 158 metres and blades provided by LM Wind Power, which is also a GE Renewable Energy business. The installation of the wind turbines at the project site is planned to take place in 2021.
“We are delighted to sign this important deal with GE Renewable Energy thereby ensuring 22 state-of-the-art Cypress turbines perfectly designed for our three Lithuanian projects,” added Knud Erik Andersen, CEO of European Energy. “This deal will ensure 121 MW of green power capacity and be central to driving the green transition and support the local production of renewable energy in a country currently heavily dependent on the import of energy.”
At the moment, there are 23 wind parks operating in Lithuania with a combined capacity of 480 MW, but with the individual wind turbines, there is a total of 534 MW of wind power installed today. According to the Lithuanian Wind Power Association (Lvea) Lithuania has set the goal to produce 100 per cent of the country’s electricity from renewable sources by 2050.