:: Press Release 29 March 2006

Technology for first wave power station in Germany will be provided by Voith Siemens Hydro Power Generation
 29/03/06

Heidenheim, Germany / Inverness, Scotland: The development and construction of the first wave power station in Germany will rely on the know-how and technology of Voith Siemens Hydro Power Generation.

 Voith Siemens Hydro through its subsidiary company Wavegen is operating the first commercial scale grid-connected wave power station in the world, supplying energy for private households.

"The project planned in Germany is a milestone on the way to the commercial use of marine energy. We are proud, to contribute with our technology", says Dr. Hubert Lienhard, President and CEO of Voith Siemens Hydro and Member of the Corporate Management Board of Voith AG.

"The trust of our partners EnBW and the Lower Saxony state government in the technology of Wavegen confirms that we lead the field in the area of wave energy and this is shown in the competitive advantage of our OWC technology compared to other wave energy technologies."

The LIMPET wave power station developed and operated by the Voith Siemens Hydro subsidiary Wavegen is located on the Scottish Isle of Islay. The nominal capacity of this facility is 500 kW.

The LIMPET wave power plant utilises the principle of "oscillating water columns" (OWC) which has been developed by Wavegen and which also shall be employed in the power station in the North Sea: According to this technique / method a chamber is constructed to enclose an area of water.

Within the chamber the water column is oscillating, raising and falling due to the wave motion, and thus compresses/ de-compresses the enclosed volume of air. The energy generated from this pressure differential is with the aid of a Wells turbine and a generator transformed into electricity and fed into the grid.

The envisaged nominal capacity of Germany's first near-shore power plant will be up to 250 kW, resulting in annual electricity generation of 400 MWh.

Voith Siemens Hydro Power Generation is a Group Division of Voith and -with a workforce of around 2,600 employees and sales of 594 million in the past business year - Voith Siemens Hydro Power Generation belongs to the world-wide leading companies for hydro power equipment.

Voith is setting standards in the markets paper, energy, mobility and service. Founded on 1 January 1867, and nowadays with approximately 30,000 employees, a turnover of EURO 3.5 billion and 200 locations world-wide, Voith is one of Europe's large family-owned companies.

Voith is an official partner of the initiative "Germany -Land of Ideas.

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