juwi and First Solar to build the world

- 160 million euro investment in 53 megawatt PV power station / Model project for the decontamination of contaminated military land


Woerrstadt/Turnow-Preilack - In spite of current difficult conditions in the financial markets, juwi and First Solar have been given the green light for one of the most significant global solar power projects: The Wörrstadt-based (Rhineland Palatinate) developer of renewable energy plants and the solar module manufacturer will build a photovoltaic power station on the former military training base of Lieberose to the north of Cottbus (Brandenburg), which will have an output of 53 megawatts and, with an area of 162 hectares, will be the second-largest PV installation in the world and the largest in Germany. However, Lieberose is not only considered exemplary on account of its capacity and investment, but is also a beacon project, extending far beyond Germany, in the renaturalisation of military land that has been contaminated with munitions.

As the main contractor, juwi Solar GmbH will have responsibility for design, logistics, site management, construction and operation of the plant. juwi will also bring the entire project rights to the project. First Solar will be supplying the PV modules – a total of around 700,000 of the latest thin layer modules, which will have been manufactured in their plant in Frankfurt/Oder. juwi has also built Germany’s two largest PV power parks to date using First Solar’s thin layer modules: Waldpolenz near Leipzig (Saxony) (40 MW) and Köthen (Saxony- Anhalt) (15 MW).

juwi and First Solar have designed and implemented a comprehensive financing scheme to build the project: the external financing, which makes up around 80 percent of the investment, comes from a consortium of banks comprising five financial institutions, which in turn are refinanced by two development banks. The equity capital will be initially financed by juwi and First Solar via mezzanine loans. The investment in the Lieberose PV power park, which is to be sold to an investor in the coming months, is over 160 million euros. "The Lieberose Solar Park underlines the benefits of investment in renewable energy plants: They are incontrovertibly certain and provide calculable returns. Projects with positive omens, such as this, as well as 100 percent secured external financing are much sought-after by financiers", emphasises Fred Jung, member of the juwi Executive Board.

Lieberose is also an exemplary project in terms of environmental protection. "First Solar’s mission is to enable a world powered by clean, affordable solar electricity. This project alone is expected to displace approximately 35,000 tons of C02 emissions a year. But we are particularly proud of this project because it adds an additional element to ‘clean.’ Not only will the project produce clean electricity, but it will also result in the removal of hazardous munitions from this project site", said Stephan Hansen, managing director First Solar GmbH. "Lieberose is a prime example of the successful combination of climate protection, high-tech and active nature conservation", states Matthias Willenbacher, member of the juwi Executive Board, paraphrasing the exemplary character of the renaturalisation scheme. The state of Brandenburg is leasing around 300 hectares of land to the plant operator so that the area can be used for the generation of clean solar power for over 20 years. The clearance of the munitions is financed by a one-off payment and the lease over the land. At the end of its use for the generation of solar power, the photovoltaic installation will be dismantled leaving an area of heathland – free of munitions - to meet the nature conservancy goals of the region and which, with care, can be maintained for many years to come.

The state of Brandenburg is supporting the project. Matthias Platzeck, Minister President of Brandenburg, emphasises that the project is an exemplary environmental project for the conversation of former military land. "Projects like this help us to heal the wounds of the Cold War and, at the same time, to achieve our ambitious targets in terms of renewable energy for the long term," states Platzeck. "It is a good example of how a commercial energy installation can ensure the subsequent civilian use of former military land without this creating an additional financial burden on the state that owns the land," states Dietmar Woidke, Minister for Agriculture and the Environment in Brandenburg.

The new solar power station, located between Lieberose and Turnow- Preilack in the district of Spree-Neiße (Brandenburg) produces approx. 53 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of clean power per year, corresponding approximately to the consumption of around 15,000 households – effectively a small town. The area is approximately that of more than 210 football pitches. The solar power station will also save around 35,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2t), the greenhouse gas every year. The construction work is already underway with an anticipated completion date of the end of 2009.

"If we want to avert a global climate catastrophe, our changeover to renewable energy has to succeed – as quickly as possible. PV installations, such as the one being built at Lieberose, are indispensable in this. They are proof of the high outputs that solar energy is capable of generating today," emphasises Matthias Willenbacher. Large projects, such as this, are also of great significance for the future of renewable energy as a whole. "The sheer size and mass production of efficient solar modules mean that they are bringing down the price and make a significant contribution to ensuring that power from solar plants will soon be competitive. This increases our determination and the acceptance of solar energy", adds Lars Falck, Managing Director of juwi solar.


About the juwi group

The juwi group (http://www.juwi.de) was founded in 1996 by Matthias Willenbacher and Fred Jung. The CEOs together transformed the company from a two-person operation focussing on wind farm project development into an internationally active group with around 500 employees and an annual turnover of more than 400 million euros. As well as solar power and bioenergy, juwi also specialises in wind and water power, and geothermal energy. To date, juwi has installed more than 300 wind turbines producing a total output of over 450 MW, while in the solar sector, juwi has set up around 800 PV systems with a total capacity of more than 220,000 KW as of December 2008. Willenbacher and Jung also share a common goal: energy supply from purely regenerative sources - 100% dedication to 100% renewable energies. The "100 % renewable" campaign embodies this goal.


About First Solar

First Solar, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSLR) manufactures solar modules with an advanced semiconductor technology and provides comprehensive PV solutions that significantly reduce solar electricity costs. By enabling clean, renewable electricity at competitive prices, First Solar provides an economic and environmentally responsible alternative to existing peaking fossil-fuel electric generation. First Solar PV power plants operate with no water, air emissions or waste stream. First Solar set the benchmark for environmentally responsible product life cycle management by introducing the industry's first comprehensive collection and recycling program for solar modules. From raw material sourcing through end-of-life collection and recycling, First Solar is focused on creating cost-effective renewable energy solutions that protect and enhance the environment. For more information about First Solar, please visit http://www.firstsolar.com.


Woerrstadt/Turnow-Preilack 21 April 2009

Publication and Reprint free of charge; please send a voucher copy to
the juwi Holding AG.


Attention editorial offices: For further questions please contact Mr.
Ralf Heidenreich, Press Officer, juwi Holding AG.

Energie-Allee 1
55286 Wörrstadt
Tel: + 49 (0) 6732 - 96 57 1207
Fax: + 49 (0) 6732 - 96 57 7001
Mobil: + 49 (0) 173- 6598211
Mail: heidenreich@juwi.de
Internet: http://www.juwi.de

Sprache:

Online-Pressemappe - alle Pressemitteilungen der juwi Holding AG | RSS-Feed abonnieren

---

Pressebilder nur für die redaktionelle Verwendung
Hinweis: Für den Inhalt der Pressemitteilung ist der Emittent / Herausgeber der Meldung »juwi Holding AG« verantwortlich.