Production peak despite difficult wind year

W.E.B reaches a new peak in production thanks to its growth course and despite extremely weak wind conditions in the second half of the year

Even though unfavorable wind conditions made it impossible to accomplish the projected annual production target for 2016, the total production of 727,637 MWh was still higher than in the previous year. This achievement is based on the technically reliable operation of power plants as well as the all-time high of newly commissioned W.E.B plants in 2016. With new projects amounting to an additional 87 MW (W.E.B share only), W.E.B was able to increase its overall capacity to 400 MW.

W.E.B project development was full of highlights in 2016, which emphasizes the role of W.E.B in the energy transition both technologically and strategically: the new projects featured several novelties and superlatives. It was the first time that W.E.B realized repowering projects in Germany and its largest wind power plant with the V126 in Glaubitz. The largest wind park in W.E.B history with gearless Siemens turbines was built in France. Moreover, W.E.B established its very first wind park in the United States of America. And Sternwald was the first W.E.B wind farm to be equipped with heatable rotor blades.

Positive production result despite an ice-cold December

Favorable winds but extreme icing conditions turned this December into one of the most exciting months with its total production of 84,761 MWh ultimately even staying above target.

The first half of the month worked out according to plan with only very few turbine downtimes due to icing. The tide turned on 16 December, however, when an atmospheric inversion sent eastern Austria’s wind power plants into hibernation. Iced rotor blades stopped most of our Austrian plants from restarting operation for almost a week. For this reason, it is hardly surprising that Austria’s wind segment did not reach its target this month. Germany, France, the Czech Republic, and our existing plants in Canada performed better than expected. December was also the first time that the kilowatt hours of the second expansion phase of the Glaubitz repowering project as well as our newly commissioned plants in France, Canada, and the USA were included in the monthly result.

Bright sunshine was found everywhere except for the atmospheric inversion. In the photovoltaic segment, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Italy clearly surpassed their monthly targets.

Our hydroelectric power production stayed below average due to a December that was far too dry in Austria and Germany.