Hesse: VSB Germany acquires Rülfenrod wind farm

Wind farm developer VSB, with its regional office in Kassel, continues its success story in the Vogelsberg district. As the new operator of the Rülfenrod wind farm, which was commissioned in 2002, VSB is planning to repower the five existing turbines over the next four years. The company acquired the site from energy provider Statkraft.

Since 2012, VSB Germany has been a reliable partner in expanding renewable energy in the Vogelsberg district. Currently, construction is underway in the municipality of Antrifttal, where the Vockenrod wind farm is being expanded with two additional turbines, increasing total capacity from 17.1 megawatts (MW) to 28.5 MW.

At the same time, planning has now commenced for the repowering of the Rülfenrod wind farm in the municipality of Gemünden (Felda). The wind farm, with a total capacity of 7.5 MW, consists of five turbines that have been in operation for 23 years. These will be replaced with new, high-performance turbines, increasing installed capacity to 36 MW. This will boost the annual energy yield by over 800 percent.

The "old" wind farm is expected to remain in operation until approximately 2028/2029. Before decommissioning can begin in Rülfenrod, the repowering project must undergo a standard permitting process in accordance with the Federal Immission Control Act. As part of the application process, up-to-date wind measurement data will be collected, with a LiDAR measurement system which was installed in spring 2025. This system will collect continuous data over a period of approximately 12 months to provide an accurate yield forecast.

"We would like to extend our thanks to the landowners, the municipality, and the previous operator for their trust in our future plans and their strong support for the repowering process. Together, we are now working on a swift implementation and yield optimisation of the wind farm," says Thomas Winkler, Managing Director of VSB Deutschland.

"We are pleased to have found a suitable buyer in VSB, who is committed to advancing the energy transition by modernising the Rülfenrod wind site," adds Bastian Meitz, Head of Investment Management Germany at Statkraft.

• 250403_PR_VSB_Germany-Ruelfenrod_wind_farm_Repowering_FINAL_en.pdf (195 KB)