Repowering: Green light for modern wind turbines at Steinberg

The modernisation of the Steinberg wind farm in the municipalities of Neusiedl an der Zaya and Hauskirchen (district of Gänserndorf, Lower Austria) has been approved. Following the positive completion of the environmental impact assessment, the Lower Austrian provincial government unanimously approved the project by Windkraft Simonsfeld and EVN Naturkraft GmbH.

As part of the repowering project, seven existing wind turbines will be replaced by five modern and significantly more powerful turbines. Total capacity will increase from 23 to 36 megawatts, allowing substantially more clean electricity to be generated in the future with fewer turbines. The total investment volume amounts to around €58 million.

Windkraft Simonsfeld’s share of the project includes the dismantling of two Vestas V90 turbines, each with a capacity of 2 MW. In their place, three new Vestas V172 wind turbines with a rated capacity of 7.2 MW each will be installed. The three turbines will generate around 69.4 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year.

“With this repowering project, we can significantly increase electricity production at the same site. This marks another important step towards a secure, affordable and domestic energy supply,” says Markus Winter, Member of the Management Board of Windkraft Simonsfeld.

Deputy Governor Stephan Pernkopf also welcomed the modernisation: “The project is another building block for more energy from our homeland, greater independence and an additional boost for the economy.” The expansion of wind power makes a significant contribution to climate protection, strengthens the regional economy and reduces dependence on energy imports.