Pioneering Cape Wind Project a First for the US

Siemens and Cape Wind have signed a major contract for the construction of the first utility-scale offshore wind farm in the US. Once the contract becomes effective later next year, Siemens will supply Cape Wind with its industry-leading 3.6-megawatt offshore wind turbines, an offshore Electric Service Platform (ESP) and a long-term service agreement. When fully built, Cape Wind will have a capacity of 468 megawatts. The project is situated off the Northeast coast, 20km offshore of Nantucket, at Horseshoe Shoal in the Nantucket Sound. Installation and commissioning is expected for 2016.

"The USA is a key market for Siemens. We are proud to be able to announce the third big contract in the U.S. within just one week. Following the biggest onshore wind order ever and a follow-up order for a highly efficient and flexible gas-fired combined cycle power plant in Pennsylvania, we've now signed a contract to provide wind turbines and service for the first commercial offshore wind farm in the US. This shows that wind power and natural gas do not stand opposed but rather are the perfect fit for a sustainable energy system," said Michael Süß, member of the Management Board of Siemens AG and CEO of Siemens' Energy Sector.

Offshore wind in the U.S. has significant potential to supply the coastal areas of the U.S. with clean energy. Potential offshore locations are situated along the Southern and Northern Atlantic Coast and in the Gulf of Mexico. A recently published Navigant study awarded by the US Department of Energy predicts that installed US offshore wind power capacity will rise in the next five years to 3.5 gigawatts.

Wind power and energy service are part of Siemens' Environmental Portfolio. Around 43 per cent of its total revenue stems from green products and solutions. That makes Siemens one of the world's leading providers of eco-friendly technology.

The Siemens Energy Sector is the world's leading supplier of a broad spectrum of products, services and solutions for power generation in thermal power plants and using renewables, power transmission in grids and for the extraction, processing and transport of oil and gas.