“We are happy to continue the good offshore supply relationship with Siemens based on the delivery of 140 3.6-MW wind turbines for the Greater Gabbard project where construction is ongoing,” says Airtricity CEO Paul Dowling.

Andreas Nauen, CEO of Siemens Wind Power says this agreement shows that the German offshore market is moving from the demonstration phase to rolling out commercial projects.

“With more than 90 turbines already installed offshore, the Siemens 3.6-MW wind turbine has a proven track-record for the harsh environment in the North Sea,” he says.

The Butendiek project is located 34 kilometres off the island of Sylt at a water depth of 20 metres.

“The Butendiek project enjoys one of the best conditions among the German offshore projects,” says Martin Huss, Project Director and General Manager at Butendiek Offshore Windpark GmbH & Co. KG., the project company for the offshore wind farm. Airtricity acquired the Butendiek project from the community founded developer OSB Butendiek in 2007.

Germany offers favourable framework conditions for the installation and operation of offshore wind farms. The German government has set a target of 25,000 MW offshore wind power in the year 2030. The Butendiek wind farm will receive a feed-in-tariff of 15 Eurocents per kWh, and the transmission system operator is obliged to connect the wind farm to the grid on time.

With an installed offshore capacity of more than 600 MW and an order backlog totalling more than 3,300 MW, Siemens is the leading supplier of wind turbines for offshore applications.

Wind power is an important part of Siemens’ environmental portfolio. In 2008, revenue from the products and solutions in the Siemens’ environmental portfolio was nearly EUR19 billion, which is equivalent to approximately a quarter of Siemens’ total revenue.

About Siemens Southern Africa:

Siemens has had a presence in South Africa since 1860 when the company installed the first telegraph line linking Cape Town and Simon’s Town. Today, Siemens offers a balanced portfolio of technologies focusing on the Industry, Energy and Healthcare sectors, together with the cross-sector business of Siemens IT Solutions and Services. The unique ability to offer horizontal, customised, end-to-end technology solutions enables Siemens to keep its customers one-step ahead. As a committed corporate citizen, Siemens has active corporate social investment programmes as well as a comprehensive approach to local content, manpower development, skills and training. Further information is available on the Internet at www.siemens.co.za

About Siemens Energy:

The Siemens Energy Sector is the world’s leading supplier of a complete spectrum of products, services and solutions for the generation, transmission and distribution of power and for the extraction, conversion and transport of oil and gas. In fiscal 2008 (ended September 30), the Energy Sector had revenues of approximately EUR22.6 billion and received new orders totaling approximately EUR33.4 billion and posted a profit of EUR1.4 billion. On September 30, 2008, the Energy Sector had a work force of approximately 83,500. Further information is available at: www.siemens.com/energy