Seventy new jobs planned at the location
Erlangen, Germany, May 12, 2009 -- Siemens is expanding its wind power activities in Germany and Europe. As part of this expansion, Siemens has now established its European headquarters for wind power sales and project execution in Hamburg. At the same time, the Bremen location is being upgraded to European headquarters in the service business. The new headquarters in Hamburg is starting up operations with about 40 employees. As a result, employees with functions in sales and project execution have relocated to Hamburg from Brande in Denmark and, in some cases, from Bremen. In the medium term, about 70 jobs are expected to be created at Siemens Wind Power's new Hamburg location.
“Starting immediately, we will be controlling sales, project planning, transport and installation of wind turbines in Europe, Africa and the Middle East – all from Hamburg, with assistance locally from the respective Siemens Regional Companies. The new location is ideally qualified for this in terms of logistics,” explains Christoph Burkhard, head of business administration for the new Siemens Wind Power European headquarters.
“We're planning to strongly expand our good market position in Scandinavia and the United Kingdom. An important part of our work is to develop business in new markets such as Turkey and North Africa. In addition, resources for the marketing of offshore wind turbines will be also be developed in our new home in Hamburg,” commented Lars Krogsgaard, Siemens Wind Power's Europe CEO.
“We're glad to be able to further consolidate our long-established Siemens location in Hamburg with the establishment of the new Siemens Wind Power European headquarters,” added Michael Westhagemann, CEO of Siemens Region Hanse.
SWP has moved into its offices to the Siemens location which has existed since 1898 on Lindenplatz in the Hamburg district of St. Georg. A total of about 1,800 employees work for the global company in Hamburg.
Wind turbines are an important component of Siemens' environmental portfolio. The company posted revenues of EUR 19 billion in fiscal 2008 with products from this portfolio, accounting for about a quarter of total Siemens revenue.
The Siemens Wind Power unit is part of the Renewable Energy Division in the Energy Sector of Siemens AG. Siemens Wind Power A/S, which is headquartered in Brande, Denmark, was founded in 2004 as a result of the takeover of Danish wind turbine manufacturer Bonus Energy. Since 1980, the company has remained focused on the development of reliable, economical wind turbines. Total installed capacity worldwide currently stands at about nine gigawatts. About 5,500 people work for Siemens Wind Power globally, 300 of whom are in Germany.
It takes specialized knowledge to create reliable advances in technology, and no other wind turbine manufacturer can match Siemens Wind Power in terms of expert know-how. With over 25 years as a continuous presence in the wind power sector, SWP can draw on the very best management and engineering experts. The design of every new product contains the accumulated experience of all previous turbines with the latest advances in the fields of aerodynamics, structural dynamics, noise prevention and power system capacity. The result is a reputation for high quality, logical and solid design and creative details. The first 22-kW turbines created a solid foundation for this reputation back in 1980. It has grown continuously since then, and lives on in today's "work horses" in the MW range.
Successful installation of the huge wind farms that have been developed over recent years requires comprehensive expertise in the management of small and large-scale projects. Siemens has extensive experience in this area. With its track record of completing hundreds of wind farms on schedule, including challenging offshore wind farms, it has proven itself as an efficient supplier for large and complex projects. Siemens is also the leading supplier of wind turbines for maritime operation, with an installed offshore capacity of over 600 MW and orders in hand for more than 3,300 MW. Backed by over two decades of experience in the maintenance of offshore wind turbines, Siemens also ranks as the most experienced provider of services for offshore wind farms.
Just recently at the Hannover Messe, Siemens Energy and EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG signed a contract for delivery of 21 wind turbines of type SWT 2.3-93 for the Baltic 1 offshore wind farm. This major order, with a volume in the mid-double-digit millions range, is another major milestone on the path to implementing Germany's first commercial offshore wind park in the Baltic. Baltic 1 is situated about 16 kilometers north of the Darss/Zingst peninsula and covers an area of about seven square kilometers. The first maritime construction measures will begin in the spring of 2010, and start-up of the wind farm with a total capacity of 48.3 megawatts is planned in the last quarter of 2010.
About Siemens Energy
The Siemens Energy Sector is a supplier 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 about EUR22.6 billion and received new orders totaling about EUR33.4 billion and posted a profit of EUR1.4 billion. On September 30, 2008, the Energy Sector had a work force of about 83,500. Further information is available at www.siemens.com/energy.
Contact:
Siemens AG
Press Office Energy
Alfons Benzinger
Tel. +49 9131/18-7034
Fax: +49 9131/18-7039
