Oregon-Based Shepherds Flat to be the Largest Wind Project in the U.S.

ELGIN, Ill.--Caithness Energy has built the U.S.' largest single wind project, the 845 MW Shepherds Flat. The first wind turbines were installed in early 2011 and in September 2012 the wind farm with 338 Winergy 2.5 MW gearboxes and couplings is fully operational.

GE installed 338 high-efficiency GE Energy 2.5-100 wind turbines at Shepherds Flat, to meet the needs of this expansive project. In spring 2011, GE commissioned the first 2.5 MW wind turbine, which is the company's most advanced onshore wind turbine and is a leader in the multi-megawatt wind sector. After 20 months of installations, the complete fleet of turbines is equipped with Winergy high performance gearboxes and couplings.

Shepherds Flat is with 845 MW U.S.' largest wind farm, which was issued in one project and is the first large-scale installation of GE's 2.5-100 wind turbines in the United States. Winergy supplied its compact and high efficient gearbox PZFB 3494 combined with its ARPEX ARV4 coupling. Both of these Winergy components have been in successful serial production since 2008, with more than 2.4 GW of installed capacity globally.

A major part of the 338 gear units for the Caithness project was produced by Winergy Drive Systems Corporation in Elgin, IL. Winergy's American production plant was founded in 2001 and is with more than 7,000 gearbox installations the largest gearbox manufacturer for wind turbines in North America.

The commissioning of the first wind turbines was accomplished earlier than initially planned. Construction of the project involved not only the installation of wind turbines, but also the development of 95 miles of roads and 167 miles of transmission lines.

Stretching across 30 square miles in north-central Oregon, the project will generate enough energy to supply a projected 235,000 average size U.S. homes.

About Winergy:

Winergy, with its headquarters in Voerde, Germany, is the leading drive train component manufacturer for wind turbines. It has supplied more than 70,000 gearboxes. With more than 30 years of experience, Winergy offers gearboxes, couplings and services to wind turbine manufacturers as well as wind park owners / operations & maintenance companies. The product portfolio covers power ratings between 750 kW and 6.5MW. This is complemented by a high quality professional service portfolio. Production and service locations are located in Europe, China, India and the US, while the base of service partners is expanded continuously on a global level.