30 years 30 successes

The roots of today’s PNE AG can be traced back to 1979, when Norbert Plambeck founded a group of companies in Cuxhaven with his father Otto Plambeck. In the mid-1990s, there was a greater focus on the subject of wind energy. In 1995, Windpark Marschland GmbH was established within the group, a company specialising in the development of wind energy projects, thereby laying the foundations for today’s PNE AG. The name “PNE” stood for “Plambeck Neue Energien” and reflected the aspiration to break new ground in the energy supply sector –…

After founding Windpark Marschland GmbH in Cuxhaven, PNE quickly turned its attention to putting its ideas into practice. Just two years later, in 1997, the first of the company’s own wind farms was completed in Nordleda.  By the end of 2002, it had built a total of 56 wind farms with 320 wind turbines in Germany. These projects laid solid foundations for further development. The company’s success in acquiring suitable sites on land proved to be one of its key strengths.  At that point in time, PNE had already secured a project…

A new chapter began for PNE in 1998. The IPO on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange marked the official entry into the capital market and represented a significant milestone in the company’s history.   “Back then, we were a small team of maybe 20 people and were invited to Frankfurt to experience this moment together,” recalled Tanja Grefe-Totz, who works for a predecessor company since 1994. “We stood on the podium at the stock exchange and could see the first price live on the wall – 480 Deutschmarks. That was a really special…

In 1999, PNE turned its attention to offshore wind power projects for the first time, blazing a trail in Germany. “There was nothing comparable in Germany when we started in 1999. There were no documents or approval guidelines,” recalled Thorsten Fastenau, Head of Offshore Wind Project Development. The fundamental questions – such as the permissible size of an offshore wind farm or the requirements with regard to environmental concerns and shipping interests – were still unanswered at the time. “We firstly had to work all of this out…

In the wind energy sector, the PNE Group achieved a total installed output of more than 100 megawatts for the first time in 2000. The years before were marked by the development and construction of numerous wind farms. Both the company’s technical experience and its confidence in its own possibilities grew with each new site. Surpassing the 100 MW mark was a visible sign of the successful expansion of the portfolio and the growing importance of wind energy within the company.   This progress opened the door to further growth and…

In December 2001, Plambeck Neue Energien AG reached an important milestone in its capital market history when the share was listed on the Nemax 50 – the quality index in the Neuer Markt segment. This made the company one of the 50 most important technology companies in Germany, significantly raising its profile among institutional investors.  The listing on the index reflected the positive business growth and the increasing importance of wind energy as a technology of the future. For PNE, this was a strong signal – both in terms of…

PNE embarked on its targeted internationalisation strategy in 2001 by acquiring an 80 per cent stake in the French project management company Ventura SA. Ventura brought management experience and 13 secured wind farm sites to the partnership. Five other projects were also taken on, making France the first foreign market for PNE – a strategically important step in a market that was just starting to open up.  The subsidiary Ventura SA was responsible for the ongoing development of the projects. Its services ranged from selecting sites…

In 2013, PNE WIND AG acquired a majority stake in the wind farm development company WKN AG (Husum). Long before that, Stephan Eidinger, who now oversees land acquisition at PNE, joined WKN. “There were only a handful of us when I started at WKN in 1998. It had a start-up character, presenting me with a fantastic opportunity to help shape it from the very beginning,” said Eidinger. He particularly remembers two projects from this time: the Porep-Jännersdorf wind farm, which WKN built in 2004. Featuring 31 wind turbines, it would…

In 2007, PNE continued its international expansion activities by establishing joint ventures with local project developers in Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey. The aim was to open up new markets at an early stage and build wind farm projects with experienced partners.  In Hungary, a partnership was formed with GM Umwelt- und Energiewirtschaft GmbH. Nine wind farms featuring up to 130 wind turbines and capable of generating a total output of around 260 megawatts were planned. In Turkey, where the project volume ran to 450 megawatts, PNE…

On 16 December 2009, PNE WIND AG sold its shares in the “Borkum Riffgrund I” and “Borkum Riffgrund II” offshore wind farm projects to the Danish energy supply company DONG Energy Power. The two companies previously each held a 50 per cent stake in the projects developed by PNE.  The agreement stipulated that the purchase price would be paid in the form of milestone payments – with each instalment due when certain stages of progress were reached in the project. When the contract was signed, PNE received an initial payment of around…

There was once only a submarine marked on the nautical chart on the site where the “Gode Wind” I to III offshore wind farm is located today. “The area was problematic in terms of trying to secure a licence because it was used by the military as a submarine diving area,” said Thorsten Fastenau. So the offshore team launched a large-scale research project, during which they discovered that the site was originally used to test whether the submarines could withstand the pressure at this water depth. They also found out that there was…

In 2013, PNE WIND AG acquired a majority stake in WKN AG, an established wind farm developer based in Husum. WKN AG remained an independent brand under the umbrella of the PNE WIND Group until 2024. The acquisition gave PNE access to six additional international markets, significantly expanding the company’s strategic base.  In the same year, the 100th PNE WIND AG wind farm project was successfully planned. There was also expansion in the offshore portfolio with the acquisition of the three “Atlantis I–III” projects.  From then…

On 10 September 2013, the first joint summer party for PNE WIND AG and WKN AG was held – representing a symbolic milestone in the merger of the two companies. Following the slogan “PNE WIND x WKN AG: together in international waters”, the employees of both groups got together in the Port of Hamburg aboard the Cap San Diego, the world’s largest seaworthy museum ship.  The event included a trip along the Elbe lasting almost ten hours. Everything was provided on deck – from delicious food to an interactive entertainment programme and…

In 2013, PNE sharpened its focus on its core business of planning wind farm projects and continued its international expansion course by opening new offices in the UK, Romania and the USA. Activities in these countries had already begun in 2008 and were continuously expanded in the following years. Together with local partners, new markets were opened up and work continued to develop existing activities.  In Scotland, PNE WIND UK received approval for the “Tralorg” onshore wind farm with an output of 20 megawatts. Another 66-megawatt…

In 2014, PNE began expanding its business model to include a new sales channel by entering the so-called YieldCo business. Instead of just selling wind farm portfolios, the YieldCo model aims to bundle completed, high-yielding plants in a separate company and then list them on the stock exchange.. The aim was to deliver stable and attractive returns while reducing the risk.  While YieldCos were already established in the USA and the UK, PNE was one of the pioneers of this model in Germany. It gave institutional investors the…

With Chransdorf wind farm in Brandenburg, PNE not only realised the largest onshore project in the company’s history back in 2015. Chransdorf was also one of the first major wind farm projects to be realised in a forest area. A total of 24 Nordex N117/2400 wind turbines with an overall height of 200 metres were constructed. The turbines generate around 185,000 megawatt-hours of electricity each year – enough to cover the average annual demand of about 53,000 households.  Plans were drawn up as part of the project development in…

In 2015, PNE took a strategic step by selling the British subsidiary PNE WIND UK together with the projects it had developed. The purchase price was up to 103 million pounds, which was the equivalent of around 141.5 million euros at the time of the transaction. The first instalment of around 40.1 million pounds was paid in 2015, with further payments to be made upon achieving defined project milestones.  The sale was an operational success and part of a strategic realignment. The entire project pipeline was transferred to the buyer…

In 2013, PNE WIND acquired the offshore projects then named Aquamarin, Bernstein and Citrin from an insolvent business, rechristened them “Atlantis I to III” and continued to develop them in the years that followed. “An offshore wind farm’s grid connection is of the utmost relevance to a project. Otherwise, the electricity cannot be fed into the grid. A change in the regulations denied us the grid connection for Atlantis I. We had to take legal action and were ultimately able to sell the project very successfully,” reported Thorsten…

In 2017, PNE embarked on a comprehensive strategic realignment. The classic wind farm project developer evolved into a so-called Clean Energy Solutions Provider.  In the future, the operating business would now also focus on photovoltaics, storage technologies and power-to-gas – particularly hydrogen – in addition to wind energy. Project development remained its key area of expertise and was supplemented by new technologies and business areas.  As part of the realignment, PNE planned to build a new European wind farm portfolio…

By founding WKN WERTEWIND GmbH, the PNE Group established a participation model that specifically encourages the involvement of citizens and landowners in wind energy projects. The subsidiary of WKN GmbH focuses on ownership concepts that are geared towards transparency and regional value creation from the outset.  One such example is “Langstedt” wind farm in Schleswig-Holstein with its citizens’ savings plan. The project was developed in close consultation with the local stakeholders – an approach that is also embraced in the…

In 2019, PNE significantly expanded its operative business activities in Germany and abroad. Projects with a total output of 450.8 megawatts were sold, commissioned or under construction – a significant rise on the previous year. The company was particularly successful in the foreign markets of France, Poland, Sweden and Italy, which had been gradually developed over the course of previous years.  Having secured its first operations management contracts in France, Poland and Sweden, energy consult GmbH, part of the PNE Group, also…

In 2019, PNE turned its attention to a technical matter that took on an importance far beyond its own wind farm. In Kührstedt-Alfstedt, Lower Saxony, an Aircraft Detection Lighting System (ADLS) was put into operation for the first time at a wind farm with different turbine types. The introduction of the ADLS is an example of the company’s willingness to break new ground and come up with technical solutions for current challenges. This step has boosted the acceptance of wind energy in the region on a lasting basis.   The wind farm,…

In order to put itself in an even better position in the offshore sector, PNE decided to use its own expertise to greater advantage abroad. Since 2020, the offshore team has been working on a project in Vietnam. “It is a similar situation to when we started in Germany in 1999. There is still no regulation in Vietnam in the offshore energy industry. This is being worked out with the licensing authorities in parallel to the project development process,” said Thorsten Fastenau. The investment volume for the project – consisting of a…

The PNE Cup is more than just a football tournament – it is a symbol of embraced sustainability and regional commitment. For over 15 years, FC Geestland has been organising this major youth tournament in the district of Cuxhaven together with PNE AG. In 2020, the concept won the “Klima(s)check” for sports clubs, a prize of 10,000 euros presented to the club by the Climate Protection and Energy Agency of Lower Saxony and the LandesSportBund Lower Saxony for its sustainable approach to organising the PNE Youth Cup. It is financed by the…

Jasna wind farm is a project completed by PNE that stands out in many respects. It was built in the north of Poland in a location with consistently favourable wind conditions and boasts a total output of 132 megawatts, making Jasna the largest onshore project that PNE has been able to realise to date.  The dimensions of the wind farm are remarkable, featuring 39 wind turbines extending over a distance of some 17 kilometres. The technical side of the project was particularly challenging – especially when connecting the turbines to the…

The sale of two photovoltaic projects in Romania and the USA marked an important step on the company’s ongoing strategic development journey.  These two sales symbolise the transformation of PNE AG into a comprehensive provider of solutions in the field of renewable energies. They represent the first photovoltaic projects to be sold as part of the broader strategy – a clear sign that the path taken is successful. The completion of these two transactions is a milestone in the ongoing development of the business model. Besides wind…

In June 2022, PNE AG was listed on the SDAX, making it one of the 70 largest listed companies below the DAX and MDAX – as measured by the market capitalisation of freely tradable shares. The share price had risen by 152 per cent since the beginning of 2022 – making it the best-performing share on the entire stock market. At the same time, PNE continued to develop its corporate strategy with the aim of expanding its own power generation portfolio, enlarging the project pipeline and boosting its service business. “The listing on the SDAX…

WKN GmbH had been part of the PNE Group since 2013, with full brand integration taking place in 2024. The previously independent WKN brand was subsumed under the single “PNE” brand. WKN GmbH became PNE Erneuerbare Energien GmbH.  The aim of the integration was to combine communication measures for shared areas of expertise and further consolidate the market position in the field of renewable energies. The company continued to exist, while all contact persons and ongoing projects remained in place in a seamless process.  The…

Empathy and the willingness to engage in constant dialogue with landowners play a key role in land acquisition, as reported by Stephan Eidinger, who is head of the department responsible for securing land. “The planning phases have got longer. Needless to say that we get to know the landowners during this time. Once the contract has been signed, rather than put it away in a drawer, we continue to keep the landowners up to date. How is the project currently progressing? What is new, what are the challenges? Do we need the landowners, do…

The kale tour has always been a firm tradition at PNE. Every year between November and March, colleagues meet in Cuxhaven for a walk through the northern German countryside. The reigning royal kale couple organises the tour, which ends at a secret destination. During the walk, they partake in little games and solve tasks that help to elect the new royal couple. In earlier years, they also played “Boßeln” – a Frisian folk sport in which balls are thrown along country roads. Once the participants arrive at their destination,…

30 years of PNE – and the success story continues. One impressive example of this is our 240-megawatt Khauta South photovoltaic project in South Africa, which reached financial close in June 2025, and its sister project Khauta West with a further 110 megawatts. Together with our partner NOA Group, the development team at PNE South Africa has shown how to make a success of cooperation across continents. Construction work is already under way, with commissioning scheduled for early 2027. We are thus laying down a clear marker for the…