Merkel Inaugurates Germany's Next Offshore Wind Park

Berlin (ots) - Baltic 1 was inaugurated today, making it Germany's
first offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea and second offshore park
to go online. German Chancellor Angela Merkel attended the ceremony
for the nearly 50 megawatt (MW) park, which will generate up to 185
gigawatt hours of electricity annually for around 50,000 German
homes. The opening marks a further milestone in the country?s
offshore wind 'gold rush' in both the North Sea and Baltic Sea.
According to Germany Trade & Invest, now is the optimal time for
investments in the country's wind energy sector.

"Germany's offshore wind industry is taking off. Two parks off two
very different coasts have been completed and others are in
development. A pipeline is already in place to serve Europe's largest
market and political backing for wind energy is strong. This recipe
has led to manufacturers, suppliers and researchers lining up along
the country's coastlines," states Anne Bräutigam, wind energy expert
at Germany Trade & Invest in Berlin.

The 21 turbines that make up EnBW Baltic 1 are located 10 miles
off Germany's Baltic coast at a water depth of 50-60 feet. The grid
connection for the turbines, each 410 feet tall, is provided by the
transmission grid operators in Germany, which covers a large share of
the wind farm costs.

With renewable energy accounting for 17 percent of Germany's
electricity - the bulk of which is generated by wind - rapid growth
of the offshore segment will mark the next phase for the industry.
Offshore park alpha ventus (60 MW) in the North Sea began operating
last year and served as a cooperative test project for utilities,
installers and manufacturers. Currently BARD Offshore 1 (400 MW) is
under construction in the North Sea and several other large-scale
wind farms are in development in both seas, with supplier and service
contracts currently being awarded. These include Baltic 2, Dan Tysk,
(each 288 MW) Nordsee Ost (295 MW) and Amrumbank West (300 MW).

Germany Trade & Invest is the foreign trade and inward investment
promotion agency of the Federal Republic of Germany. The organization
advises foreign companies looking to expand their business activities
in the German market. It provides information on foreign trade to
German companies that seek to enter foreign markets.

Media Contact:
Andreas Bilfinger
P. +49 (0)30 200 099-173
F. +49 (0)30 200 099-111
Andreas.Bilfinger@gtai.com
www.gtai.com