Wiesbaden, December 16, 2009.SGL Rotec GmbH & Co. KG, a joint venture between SGL Group (51%) and Abeking & Rasmussen Schiffsbau- und Yachtwerft (49%) announced today a long-term agreement with BARD Emden Energy GmbH & Co. KG for the delivery of rotor blades for offshore wind turbines.
The agreement has an initial term of five years with a low triple-digit million € order volume. This includes the delivery of molds and production equipment for upcoming wind farms of the BARD Group. In addition to the first German commercial offshore wind farm project “BARD Offshore 1”, BARD has received approval for a further three offshore- wind farms in the Netherlands. Construction for the wind farm BARD Offshore 1” includes 80 turbines and initial first power will supply the grid in 2010.
Dr. Jan Verdenhalven, Head of SGL Group’s CFC Business Unit: “This long-term agreement is a major step not only for SGL Rotec as an independent producer and specialist for large rotor blade manufacture but also for the entire offshore market. Top quality plays a decisive role, particularly in the offshore sector, which is difficult to penetrate. This collaboration with BARD will give SGL Rotec the opportunity to further enhance its expertise in the development of manufacturing techniques as well as the manufacture of high-quality rotor blades, thus reinforcing the company’s position in this growth market over the long term.“
Frank Hagemeister, CEO of BARD Emden Energy GmbH & Co. KG: “We have received approvals for over 300 wind mills including the new projects in the Netherlands and the German North Sea ‚Veja Mate’ resulting in a high demand for wind rotor blades in the years to come. With SGL Group as a strong partner we are in a good position to react fast when the offshore market takes off.”
The relatively new offshore wind power industry is already contributing considerably to the EU energy policy targets. According to European Environment Agency estimations, offshore wind power will represent a high double digit percentage of the European power demand by 2030. This confirms the long-term growth potential of the future “offshore” market.
At present, approximately 160 wind farms along the European coast are either in operation, in an advanced stage of construction or at the planning stage. The European Wind Energy Association expects offshore wind power capacity to increase to 40 GW by 2020, corresponding to the output of approximately 30 large nuclear power plants or 60 traditional coal-fired power plants.
SGL Rotec is a joint venture between Abeking & Rasmussen Schiffs- und Yachtwerft and SGL Group. SGL Rotec produces rotor blades in close collaboration with its customers and solely on the basis of their design specifications at the Lemwerder location. This allows the entire valueadded chain of SGL Group to be used. This includes the in-house manufacture of raw materials and carbon fiber production, the subsequent value-added stages of processing as well as production of finished components such as the rotor blades.
BARD Engineering GmbH was founded in Bremen in September 2003. The company’s core competence lies with offshore wind farm planning and investments in offshore wind business. The corporate objectives include not only acquisition of offshore wind energy projects but also their implementation and operation as corporate assets. In the meantime, BARD Group companies with their head office in Emden manage the entire value chain in the field of offshore wind generated electricity supply on a wide scale. Since the end of 2006, BARD Emden Energy GmbH & Co. KG (BEE) has been manufacturing and assembling selfdeveloped rotor blades, GRP components and entire offshore wind energy converters in Emden. In the middle of April 2008, Cuxhaven Steel Construction GmbH (CSC) started the serial production of BARD Tripile-foundations for BARD offshore wind energy converters. Furthermore, BARD Building GmbH & Co. KG in Emden is also a member of BARD Group companies. It is responsible for offshore wind farm installation. The company will utilize BARD installation vessel „Wind Lift I“ for installation and maintenance purposes. BARD Service GmbH will ensure further high level of availability of BARD wind energy converters. It manages a Service and Operating Centre in Emden, and provides a permanent maintenance team to be accommodated on a transformer platform located right in the wind farm, as well as arranges offshore wind farm tenders on project procurement. The BARD Holding GmbH is heading the companies. There are totally more nearly 990 employees working at BARD facilities in Bremen, Emden and Cuxhaven.
SGL Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of carbon-based products. It has a comprehensive portfolio ranging from carbon and graphite products to carbon fibers and composites. SGL Group’s core competencies are its expertise in high-temperature technology as well as its applications and engineering know-how gained over many years. These competencies enable the Company to make full use of its broad material base. SGL Group’s carbon-based materials combine several unique properties such as electrical and thermal conductivity, heat and corrosion resistance as well as high mechanical strength combined with low weight. Due to the paradigm shift in the use of materials as a result of the worldwide shortage of energy and raw materials, there is a growing demand for SGL Group’s high-performance materials and products from an increasing number of industries. Carbon and graphite products are used whenever other materials such as steel, aluminum, copper, plastics, wood etc. fail due to their limited properties. Products from SGL Group are used predominantly in the steel, aluminum, automotive, chemical and glass/ceramics industries. However, manufacturers in the semiconductor, battery, solar/wind energy, environmental protection, aerospace and defense industries as well as in the nuclear energy industry also figure among the Company’s customers.
With 40 production sites in Europe, North America and Asia as well as a service network covering more than 100 countries, SGL Group is a company with a global presence. In 2008, the Company’s workforce of around 6,500 generated sales of €1.6 billion. The Company’s head office is located in Wiesbaden/Germany.
This press release contains statements on future developments that are based on currently available information and that involve risks and uncertainties that could lead to actual results deviating from these forward-looking statements. The statements on future developments are not to be understood as guarantees. The future developments and events are dependent on a number of factors, they include various risks and unanticipated circumstances and are based on assumptions that may not be correct. These risks and uncertainties include, for example, unforeseeable changes in political, economic and business conditions, particularly in the area of electric steel production, the competitive situation, interest rate and currency developments, technological developments and other risks and unanticipated circumstances. We see other risks in price developments, unexpected developments relating to acquired and consolidated companies and in the ongoing cost optimization programs. SGL Group does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.
