As of September 1, 2019, wpd windmanager GmbH & Co. KG takes over the operational management of the wind farm Plouguin in the French region of Brittany. For the wiwi consult GmbH & Co. KG the operational manager assumes the commercial and technical operations management. With its location in the French Arras wpd windmanager takes care of five Enercon E-66 turbines with a total capacity of 10 MW. Special feature of the cooperation: The wind farm Plouguin has concluded a power purchase agreement (PPA) with a French energy supplier and receives its renumeration exclusively from the direct marketer. “The PPA comes along with certain commitments”, expresses Thomas Zenk, Partner at wiwi consult. “Therefore, we have been searching for an experienced and reliable operations manager, who is always able to fulfill the individual requirements – for example in the range of reaction times. With wpd windmanager we have found such a partner, who is furthermore very well connected on the French market.”
Background of the PPA: In France there is a fixed feed-in tariff for the first 15 years after commissioning of the wind farm. For the wind farm Plouguin, which went into operation in 2004, wiwi consult therefore searched for alternative reimbursement modalities. “A PPA is one of the most interesting and future-oriented renumeration models for older wind farms – both nationally and internationally”, says Nils Brümmer, managing director at wpd windmanager. Prior to the conclusion of the PPA-contract wpd windmanager played an advisory role and discussed with wiwi consult the essential features of such an agreement. “For us, it turned out quickly, that we both have similar substantial ideas and that we want to further expand the cooperation within the operational management”, states Zenk.