NEW YORK & EZINE, Turkey, Jun 21, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Turkey’s newest wind farm — the first owned by a joint venture of GAMA Holding A.S. and GE unit GE Energy Financial Services — is now selling clean electricity and helping the country meet its renewable energy generation targets, the companies announced today at an American Council on Renewable Energy conference in New York.
The 22.5-megawatt Sares wind farm, located in one of Turkey’s most extreme wind regions near the city of Canakkale in the Ezine Region near the northwest coast, uses nine GE 2.5-megawatt turbines, some of the most advanced in GE’s fleet in efficiency, reliability and grid connection capabilities. Turkey’s Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources approved commercial operation of the Sares wind farm, the first in Turkey owned by Ankara-based GAMA Enerji A.S., the joint venture of GEEFS and GAMA Holding.
“As a global investor, we are delighted to expand our renewable energy investing to Turkey, particularly using GE’s state-of-the-art turbines, to help the country meet its energy and environmental needs with a sustainable, efficient energy source like wind,” Kevin Walsh, a managing director and leader of Power and Renewable Energy at GE Energy Financial Services, said at the American Council on Renewable Energy’s Renewable Energy Finance Forum-Wall Street.
Added Stephan Ritter, general manager of GE Renewables Europe: “The Turkish market’s potential for the wind business is very big. To realize that potential, we are committed to working with wind developers such as GAMA Enerji. As our most advanced installed wind turbine in efficiency, reliability and grid connection capabilities, the 2.5-megawatt series is an excellent match for a region with such extreme wind conditions.”
The GE-GAMA joint venture is also developing the 10-megawatt Karadag wind farm, 350 kilometers south of Sares. Project construction, also using GE’s 2.5-megawatt turbines, is expected to start in the third quarter of this year, with completion expected in the second quarter of next year. While GAMA Enerji has invested in the Sares and Karadag projects, GE Energy will maintain them under a services agreement, and GAMA Enerji will operate them.
GAMA Enerji Managing Director Semih Ergur said: “These wind farms not only support a cleaner environment but create jobs, support our company’s growth and help Turkey achieve its renewable energy goals.”
GAMA Enerji estimates that the two wind farms will generate enough electricity to power 59,000 average Turkish homes and avoid 80,000 tons a year in greenhouse gas emissions. Turkey’s Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources aims to generate 20 percent of the country’s electricity from renewable resources by 2020.
GE’s 2.5-megawatt wind turbines are used at two of the world’s largest wind projects: CEZ Romania’s 600-megawatt Fantanele wind farm, Europe’s largest onshore project; and the 845-megawatt Shepherds Flats wind project, the world’s largest wind farm, under construction in the US state of Oregon that is co-owned by GE Energy Financial Services, Caithness Energy, Google and subsidiaries of ITOCHU Corporation and Sumitomo Corporation. This machine is designed to yield the highest annual energy production in its class and builds on the success of GE’s 1.5-megawatt wind turbine, the world’s most widely deployed wind turbine, with more than 16,000 now installed.
About GAMA
GAMA was established in Turkey in 1959 and has become a leading international general contractor with operations in 20 countries extending from Ireland in the west to Russia’s Sakhalin Island in the east. GAMA Group Companies presently have contracts in 12 countries valued about USD $6.5 billion and a workforce of 14,000 employees. Besides serving as an EPC supplier of power plants and a general contractor of industrial facilities, GAMA’s core business includes energy investments, managed by its joint venture company GAMA Enerji A.S. For further information, please visit www.GAMA.com.tr
About GAMA Enerji A.S.
The experience of GAMA in the energy and water sectors resulted in the establishment of GAMA Enerji. GAMA has taken part in the construction and development of 14,500 megawatts of power generation capacity worldwide (which corresponds to approximately 30% of the installed generation capacity in Turkey). GAMA owns equity in projects with a total installed capacity of 1607 MW. GAMA was an active participant in Turkey’s first major Build Operate Transfer projects as contractor and investor. GAMA Enerji has invested in water treatment and conveyance projects with a capacity of 140 MCM/year and intends to continue these investments with another substantial water project in Jordan. It has invested in power plants, including in Ireland. GAMA Enerji develops renewable hydroelectric and wind energy projects as well as larger thermal power plants. For more information, visit www.GAMA.com.tr/energy/
About GE
GE is an advanced technology, services and finance company taking on the world’s toughest challenges. Dedicated to innovation in energy, health, transportation and infrastructure, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 300,000 people worldwide. GE has been active in Turkey for more than 60 years, growing through strong partnerships and technology investments in infrastructure segments such as Aviation, Energy and Transportation. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ge.com .
GE serves the energy sector by developing and deploying technology that helps make efficient use of natural resources. With more than 90,000 global employees and 2010 revenues of $38 billion, GE Energy www.ge.com/energy is one of the world’s leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technologies. The businesses that comprise GE Energy – GE Power & Water, GE Energy Services and GE Oil & Gas – work together to provide integrated product and service solutions in all areas of the energy industry including coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy; renewable resources such as water, wind, solar and biogas; and other alternative fuels.
GE Energy Financial Services’ experts invest globally across the capital spectrum in essential, long-lived, and capital-intensive energy assets that meet the world’s energy needs. In addition to capital, GE Energy Financial Services offers the best of GE’s technical know-how, technology innovation, financial strength, and rigorous risk management. Based in Stamford, Connecticut, USA, the GE business unit helps its customers and GE grow through new investments, strong partnerships, and optimization of its US $21 billion in assets. For more information, visit .
Editor’s Note: Shown here are the GE 2.5-megawatt turbines at the Sares wind farm in Turkey. The wind farm — owned by a joint venture between GAMA Holding A.S. and GE Energy Financial Services — has begun selling its power to the electric grid.
SOURCE: GE