European energy giant Vattenfall says it has received permission to go ahead with the planning of four new wind farms. The company says it will invest 4.2 billion euros in wind energy generation between this year and 2016, and will hire an additional 200 people to work on its wind power initiatives.
In Germany, Vattenfall received consent for a new onshore wind farm named Forst Briesnig. In addition, the 250 MW Pen y Cymoedd wind energy project in Wales has been granted development consent. In Denmark, Vattenfall is planning a new wind farm at Tamholt in Jutland. The company was also recently granted all of the permits for Beaufort, a wind farm planned for the Netherlands that is expected to have a capacity of 340 MW.
"Wind power is a prioritized investment area for Vattenfall," says Anders Dahl, head of Vattenfall Renewables. "Wind is one of our six energy sources, and during the coming five years, we will invest another 4.2 billion euros in wind power projects in Sweden and in the rest of Europe."
Vattenfall currently operates about 40 wind farms using approximately 900 wind turbines. In total, they generate 3.7 TWh, enough electricity to supply about 1 million households. The company also has around 60 wind projects in different planning stages.
