New Delhi, Nov 26 (IANS) REpower, the German unit of India's wind turbine manufacturing major Suzlon Energy, Friday signed a contract with Belgian firm C-Power to deliver 295 Megawatts capacity wind turbines.

"REpower signed a contract with the Belgian offshore project development company, C-Power, for the delivery of 48 of the REpower 6M type wind energy turbines," the company said in a regulatory filing.

The turbines have a total rated power of approximately 295 megawatt (MW) and are envisaged for phases 2 and 3 of the first Belgian offshore wind farm, Thornton Bank, it added.

The installation of 24 turbines for phase 2 is planned for 2012, and a further 24 are designated for installation during a third extension stage by mid-2013.

According to the company, the total investment in the project, including refinancing of the first phase project, amounts to over Euro 1.3 billion ($1.72 billion).

""The offshore market is expected to grow by 42 percent annually and by 2015, constitute to eight percent of new global wind power installations, and Europe is clearly leading the way in this development," said Tulsi Tanti, chairman of the REpower supervisory board.