BBW first announced its intention to purchase the wind farm development from German wind developer Ostwind on March 30, 2006, estimating the value of the wind farms at around $A51.6 million upon completion.

The Fruges wind farms will have a total of 11 wind turbines, manufactured by Enercon, with a total electrical generation capacity of 22MW, with an estimated long-term energy production of approximately 50GWh per annum.

BBW chief executive Peter O’Connell said the Fruges purchase is in line with its investment strategy, and should be accretive to earnings as soon as the wind farms start operations.

BBW also said the deal was important as it establishes a relationship with Ostwind, which is well established in the region, with the potential to acquire a further 62MW in the same region of France.