wpd AG is making final preparations for starting the offshore construction of the new offshore wind project Nordergründe. Groundbreaking is set for spring 2016 with the commissioning being scheduled for the end of this year.

While debt funding for the € 410 million project had already been arranged in June 2015 by European Investment Bank (EIB) and KfW IPEX Bank, a new co-investor, Gothaer Leben Renewables GmbH, has recently acquired an equity stake in the project.

“We are very pleased that we have been able to win Gothaer as a renowned and experienced equity investor for Nordergründe”, says Helge Rau, Head of M&A at wpd AG. Besides Gothaer, wpd plans to attract further investors for the project.

wpd is responsible for the construction as well as the operation of the Nordergründe project. A total of 18 Senvion turbines type 6.2M126 will be erected in the estuary of the river Weser. The total capacity of the project is 110.7 MW. Nordergründe will be connected to the grid via a single line connection by North Sea grid operator Tennet. Following the successful implementation and operation of the 288 MW offshore wind farm Butendiek in September 2015, Nordergründe is the second offshore wind project that wpd is realizing in the German North Sea.

About wpd
wpd develops and operates onshore and offshore wind farms, and is actively engaged in 17 countries around the world; the head office is located in Bremen. The company has realised wind power projects with around 1,700 turbines exceeding a total installed capacity of 3,000 megawatts, and is planning further onshore wind projects with some 6,700 megawatts. Further,  wpd AG is also one of Europe’s leading developers of offshore wind farms with a pipeline of 6,400 MW located in several jurisdictions.www.wpd.de
About Gothaer
As a part of Gothaer Group, Gothaer Leben Renewables GmbH holds a significant part of the group’s investments into Renewable Energies. With more than 4.5 billion Euros of premium income and around 4.1 million insured members Gothaer Group is one of the largest German insurance companies. Offering all classes of insurances, Gothaer focusses on high-quality, personalized advice for its clients.www.gothaer.de

Contact:
wpd AG
Christian Schnibbe
Head of Communication
Stephanitorsbollwerk 3
28217 Bremen
Tel.: +49 (421) 16866-10
E-Mail: c.schnibbe@wpd.de

Wiebke Schröder
Press Officer
Stephanitorsbollwerk 3
28217 Bremen
Tel.: +49 (421) 16866-10
E-Mail: w.schroeder@wpd.de