German wind turbine manufacturer Nordex Group has received its first order from wind energy laggard Luxembourg, for the 23MW Wincrange project from developer PW34 S.a.r.l.
The OEM wil supply seven of its N131/3300 turbines that are specifically designed for low wind speeds (IEC class IIIa) prevailing at the site in the north of the Grand Duchy that is sandwiched between Germany, France and Belgium.
Turbine construction is due to start at the end of the year, with grid connection planned for February 2020. The machines are run in a sound-optimised mode, and won’t exceed 103 decibels, the manufacturer said.
Despite being the richest EU member state on a per-capita basis, Luxembourg has the trade block’s lowest renewable energy share as part of gross final energy consumption (6.4% in 2017), and currently only has 120MW of operating wind capacity.
To edge closer to its 2020 target to have 11% of renewable energy, the country in 2017 entered into ‘statistical transfer agreements’ with Lithuania and Estonia, which both already have surpassed their own 2020 renewables targets.
Nordex has also won an order to supply seven of its N149/4.0-4.5 turbines to an Italian project. That order comes with a two-year service contract.