The large order includes 50 E-175 EP5 and 7 E-138 EP3 wind turbines for wind farms in southern Germany as well as two high-voltage substations. All projects have a high level of community involvement

ENERCON and the Energiedienstleistungen Bals/SelzEnergie group of companies signed a contract yesterday for the supply and installation of 50 E-175 EP5 and 7 E-138 EP3 wind turbines with a total output of 330 MW for wind farm projects in southern Germany as well as two substations. The signing of the contract is an important milestone for both parties.

“We are delighted to make significant progress in the energy transition in Germany together with our long-standing customer,” says Benjamin Seifert, Regional Director of ENERCON for Central and Northern Europe. “The new flagship model, the E-175 EP5, once again proves to be a highly competitive wind turbine for areas with medium and low winds. In combination with the E-138, we have designed wind farms that promise optimum energy yield. The fact that we can accelerate grid connection by constructing the transformer stations completes our package.”

Wind farms in three German federal states

The German company group Bals/SelzEnergie has been working on the idea of ??wind farms since 2012. “With the support of ENERCON, we can now take the trust placed in us by community energy companies and landowners into the next project phase,” say managing directors Jochen Bals and Christine Gelhausen. “We are convinced that we have the right partner: ENERCON shares our concept of collaboration, quality and transparency and, with its direct drive concept, meets our demands for reliable and efficient turbine technology.”

Construction work on the first projects in Lower Franconia (wind farms in Sommerhausen, Altertheim and Neubrunn) will begin this year. In total, the completion period for all wind farms will extend until 2027. The contract also includes the planning and construction of two transformer stations by ENERCON. In addition, ENERCON will take care of the maintenance of the turbines for 20 years as part of its service.

“The upsurge in the German wind market is clearly perceptible – among other things, high-volume auctions and faster approval procedures contribute to this,” says ENERCON’s commercial director Uli Schulze Südhoff. “With our current product portfolio and our service, we believe we are in an ideal position. In the last six months alone, we have recorded a double-digit increase in our order volume compared to the previous year in our core market, Germany.

The E-175 EP5 announced by ENERCON in 2022 and due to be connected to the grid shortly has a nominal output of 6 MW in its first development stage. With a rotor diameter of 175 metres, a single rotor blade measures 86 metres and is therefore one of the longest onshore rotor blades in Europe.

With a rotor diameter of 138 metres, the E-138 EP3 is designed for sites with medium winds. It has been installed more than 900 times worldwide in different development stages.

Both models are based on the typical ENERCON direct drive and will be delivered with the E-nacelle, ensuring fast installation.

Energiedienstleistungen Bals GmbH was founded in 2005 by Jochen Bals. The company is dedicated to the development of solar and wind energy projects in Germany, from the initial ideas through planning, approval, financing and construction to the subsequent operational phase. The regional focus is South Westphalia and Lower Franconia.

SelzEnergie GmbH was founded in 2023 by Christine Gelhausen and Jochen Bals in Selzen (Germany). The company’s goal is to develop and operate a powerful and locally anchored wind energy project in the municipality of Rhein-Selz (Germany). With the support of around 400 owners in total, the project planning covers eight local municipalities.

Looking forward to working together: the Energiedienstleistungen Bals/SelzEnergie Group of Companies with Managing Directors Jochen Bals and Christine Gelhausen and the ENERCON team represented by Uli Schulze Südhoff, Benjamin Seifert, Martin Oehm and Armin Bollien at the contract signing ceremony for 50 E-175 EP5 and 7 E-138 EP3.