Klaus Koch, Business Director, REETEC GmbH

As a full-service provider, your company has for the past twelve years been developing solutions for the wind power industry.  How did you enter the French market?

France is Europe's third largest market after Germany and Spain.  REETEC GmbH works exclusively for wind power plant manufacturers and is the only independent service provider in Europe offering complete solutions for the wind power industry.  Our portfolio offers everything from start to finish, from planning and installation through to servicing, maintenance and the supply of replacement components.  We have already been operating in France for some years, but the actual boom did not begin until 2006. In November 2007 we then decided to enter into a strategic partnership with EDF-Energies Nouvelles, the renewable energy subsidiary of the French power supply company Electricité de France (EDF).  The French company meanwhile has a 28% holding in REETEC GmbH. This participation helps us to keep pace with the rapidly growing market and to respond even more effectively to future challenges in the sustainable energy industry. Moreover, EDF-EN is still one of the world's biggest names in project planning.

Where are France's best wind regions – and where are you based in France?

After Great Britain, France has the second best wind potential in Europe.  Among the regions with the best wind conditions are Normandy, Brittany and the Centre of France. Optimum conditions also prevail in the Rhône Valley southwards in the direction of the Mediterranean. The northern regions are within easy reach of our main branch at Tours.  We are also planning to set up two further service centres. One of them will be in Chemin d'Ablis, southwest of Paris, where we are currently involved in the construction of France's biggest wind farm comprising 26 two-megawatt wind turbines.  The other service centre will be in Béziers, near the Mediterranean.

How are the French market for wind power and the French wind power industry developing?

French mentality is gradually changing and climate awareness is growing. "Nuclear France" has in recent years opened itself to alternative forms of energy, including wind energy, and has considerably improved the economic parameters following the implementation of renewable energy legislation.  The market for wind power is growing exceedingly fast worldwide. In Europe, at present, France has the best prospects of development, followed by Great Britain and Greece.  This can be clearly expressed in figures.  The French currently feed into the grid 2,500 MW of electricity generated by wind power (compared to 22,000 MW in Germany and 12,000 MW in Spain). The French government aims to increase this figure to 10,000 MW by the end of 2010, and to 25,000 MW by 2025.  There is a very high demand for wind power plants at present, and manufacturers can hardly keep up with production. The lead times for the delivery of a wind turbine can meanwhile be as long as five years.  The boom shows, however, that in France there is a need to catch up with other wind power countries, such as Spain or Germany. So far all the large wind power plant manufacturers are foreign, such as Siemens, GE Energy, Nordex, REpower or Vestas. There is only one French manufacturer at present, with a market share of 1.3%.

"Nuclear France" has in recent years opened itself to alternative forms of energy, including wind energy, and has considerably improved the economic parameters following the implementation of renewable energy legislation.

What challenges do you have to cope with in France?

In France we currently have a work force of ten employees, who mainly work in servicing.  The need for servicing and maintenance personnel is considerable on account of the ever growing demand. One of the challenges is the training of personnel, as training facilities in the wind power sector in France are still being built up. Our French employees therefore take certain training courses directly with us in our company.  The working language is English, and I must say that the French have far fewer problems with it than we expected.  Communication could not be better. The need for qualified personnel has also given rise to co-operation projects between French and German institutions, such as the Lycée F. Bazin in Charleville-Mézières and the BZEE (Further Training Centre for Renewable Energies) in Bremen.  Another challenge is posed by the working hours, or, to be more precise, the 35-hour week. This is a constant cause of problems, especially as regards labour-intensive installation work in the field.  However, the French government did recently flex its labour law and relax the restrictions under the 35-hour week rule, which has now made our work somewhat easier.

How do you envisage the future development of your business?

Europe is our core market and will remain so despite our involvement in various projects in Asia and America. The wind power market in France will continue to grow in future, and that is why we shall continue to expand our business capacity. Further investments and increases in our work force are planned.

 

See other related information:

• REETEC GmbH