Siemens hits 2GW mark for wind in Britain

LONDON, April 13 (UPI) -- European conglomerate Siemens announced Tuesday it reached 2 gigawatts of wind energy capacity in Britain with installations at an Essex coast wind turbine.

Siemens said the installation of a wind farm at the Gunfleet Sands project off the coast of Essex country brought total installed capacity to a milestone level for the company.

"This milestone has been achieved less than 18 months after Siemens completed installation of its first gigawatt of wind turbine capacity, making the company's installations the largest offshore power base in Europe," the company said in a statement.

The company added that it recently installed its 1,000th turbine at Gunfleet Sands.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown signed a memorandum of understanding in March with Siemens to expand wind energy in England.

The deal calls on Siemens to develop production facilities for offshore wind turbines. The British Finance Ministry earlier set aside nearly $90 million to develop sites for the manufacturing of wind turbines.

Siemens added that it provides around 40 percent of the wind energy capacity for Britain.