E.ON sets aggressive pace for wind farms

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DUSSELDORF, Germany, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- German energy company E.ON aims to commission a new wind farm in the region every 18 months under the terms of a five-year plan, an executive said.

The European Union, in a new energy road map, called for increased investments in renewable and alternative energy resources in order to "decarbonize" the energy sector by 2050.

Johannes Teyssen, chief executive and chairman of E.ON, said his company was making headway in becoming a green energy provider.

"Renewables are a cornerstone of our strategy, and offshore wind is one of E.ON's growth areas," he said in a statement. "Going forward, we intend to commission a new offshore wind farm every 18 months."

His company aims to invest $9.1 billion on renewables during the next five years.

In the German waters of the North Sea, E.ON said it expected a 2015 launch for an 80-turbine wind farm that would generate enough green energy, about 288 megawatts, to meet the demands of 300,000 homes.

A project planned for British waters, meanwhile, would generate about 219 MW of energy by 2015 while a smaller project planned in the Swedish waters of the Baltic Sea would generate about 48 MW by 2013.