The wind farm, implemented in partnership with local stakeholders,
allows savings in carbon dioxide emissions of approximately 100,000 tons annually and satisfies the demand for energy of about 70,000 households

San Sostene – 11 June 2010. Falck Renewables, a public company incorporated under the English laws and belonging to Falck Group, specialised in the production of wind energy, inaugurated today the wind farm of San Sostene, with 43 turbines for a total installed capacity of  79.5 MW.
The overall production of energy amounts, to approximately 180 GWh per year,  will satisfy  the enrgy’s demand of as many as 70,000 households.

The wind farm includes two production areas corresponding to the two ridges of the Serre mountain chain:  the South ridge  has 28 1.5 MW turbines from General Electric, generating a total of 42 MW,  while on the North ridge there are 15 2.5 MW turbines from Nordex, adding another  37.5 MW.

“This is the second wind energy project of the Group that starts operating in Italy - commented Eng. Piero Manzoni, CEO of Falck SpA Group - and it is part of the intensive programme for the development, financing, building and management of wind farms, which has been implemented since 2002 and today enables us to rely on a total wind energy installed power of over 400 MW in key European countries, ie Italy, France, Spain, United Kingdom (Scotland, Wales) and on a development plan envisaging projects for approximately 1,000 MW installed power by 2014”.

William Heller, CEO of Falck Renewables, stated: “This is a project based on a continue communication with local communities and on environmental protection.  The wind farm will contribute to cut approximately 100,000 tons per year of CO2 emissions, which would be usually emitted by a conventional fuel plant”.

The Mayor of San Sostene, Avv. Luigi Aloisio, was also present at the opening ceremony of the wind farm.  He has supported  the project - welcome with great interest by Falck Renewables - that will contribute to benefit the local community through job  opportunities and professional development, in a region with a low job prospect .

Due to its particular distribution on the mountain territory the plant, from an environmental standpoint, represented for Falck Renewables a technical and logistic challenge. Falck Renewables primary objective was to minimise the impacts on local environment.

In this respect, for the transit of the equipment required for the construction of the wind farm, the existing roads (in the region) have been improved, also from the safety point of view whenever required.  This further development, will allow a better exploitation of the region for tourism purposes as well as a better control on local environment for fire prevention.

The wind farm was financed through project financing by a loan of  150.5 million euro under an agreement  with a pool of leading credit institutions coordinated by Efibanca Spa and including Banca Infrastrutture Innovazione e Sviluppo Spa, in its capacity as Agent Bank, MPS Capital Services Banca per le Imprese Spa, Centrobanca Spa, Agrileasing Spa and Barclays Bank Plc.