German utility in quadruple wind acquisition

German utility EnBW has bought four wind farms across its domestic market with a total capacity of 55MW as it bids to triple its wind portfolio.

The company bought the facilities from Danish-owned investor NWind and other Danish individuals. EnBW said the wind farms were acquired from developers PNE Wind and SeeBA EnergyFarming several years ago. All four of the projects were commissioned between 2002 and 2003.

The acquisitions are part of the company’s aim to boost its onshore wind portfolio to 1GW by 2020. After the latest four acquisitions this figure stands at 335MW. In addition, EnBW’s chief technical officer Hans-Josef Zimmer said a final investment decision has been taken on another 100MW of projects, some 65MW of which are already under construction.

However, EnBW said the acquisitions give the company a foothold in regions where future planning is likely to take place. German onshore development was restricted earlier this year after a reform of the Renewable Energy Act dictated an annual onshore wind expansion of 2.8GW through to 2019. Lower Saxony, where two of the acquisitions took place, has been identified as a future expansion area. The region currently holds just over 20 percent of the country’s wind power with 9GW installed.

EnBW’s move is its latest in the renewables space after it bought service provider Connected Wind Services from Danish fund manager Polaris Private Equity in August.
The company is jointly owned by the government of Baden-Württemberg and a consortium of municipalities in the south-western German state.