When acquiring land for wind farms, speed is of the essence—rmDATA Info supports WLK energy from the planning stage through to the payment of compensation.
The design data provided by the construction companies carrying out the work—such as foundation specifications, crane pad locations, and rotor clearance requirements—is fed back into the rmDATA Info software.
Using a software solution based on rmDATA Info, WLK energy reorganized and optimized its land acquisition process for projects.
With a team of about 20 people, WLK energy develops wind power, solar photovoltaic, and battery storage projects—often all three technologies simultaneously and in combination as hybrid power plants. Using rmDATA Info, project developer Alexander Huscava has consolidated the entire process of site acquisition, contract management, and deadline tracking into a single system.
Complex Project Management
As a project developer at WLK energy, Alexander Huscava oversees wind power, solar, and battery storage projects from the initial site concept through to approval. He and his colleagues plan a large number of wind power, solar, and storage projects simultaneously. Until recently, most of the necessary information was documented in Excel spreadsheets. These contained all the details about properties, which landowners still needed to be contacted, who was already under contract, and all contact information.
As the number of projects grew, the system became increasingly chaotic: company data was scattered across multiple spreadsheets, a separate contract management program, a payment program, and phone notes. “It gets confusing very quickly, and there’s no flow of information between the projects,” recalls Huscava. As a result, overlaps between projects or synergies from neighboring locations were often overlooked.
The early bird…
It was time to consolidate this scattered data into a single database. The decision was made to use a software solution based on rmDATA Info for contract creation, lease payment management, and deadline tracking.
When it comes to site acquisition itself, speed is of the essence: In the wind industry, it’s often a matter of securing potential sites early on, as competition is fierce. “It’s really important that we’re able to draw up contracts quickly to secure easements,” Huscava sums it up. That was precisely the decisive factor for implementing the system.
WLK energy is already using the system for the operational management of existing wind farms as well: power lines and other inventory data can be viewed centrally, which benefits colleagues in the field.
More Efficient Workflows
With support from rmDATA and a great deal of initiative on its own part, WLK energy migrated its existing data to the rmDATA Info software platform. The team uses rmDATA GeoDiscoverer to retrieve land registry data updated daily. Very convenient: the required parcels of land can be selected graphically and overlaid with the relevant land registry data. The results are then fed directly into rmDATA Info.
In day-to-day operations, rmDATA Info has since become the central system for contacts, contract status, and the associated payments. Payment data is automatically transferred to the accounting software. On a map view in rmDATA Info, the status of each property—such as “in contact” or “contract concluded”—is visible at a glance.
Deadline & Task Management
For the many time-limited option agreements, an integrated deadline and task management system ensures that no deadline goes unnoticed—because once an option expires, all the preliminary work invested is for nothing. In the next step of the project workflow, Huscava is preparing the automated calculation of compensation payments in rmDATA Info: The planning data provided by the construction contractors—such as foundations, crane sites, or rotor clearances—is fed back into the software and directly overlaid onto the property boundaries. This enables the system to automatically calculate the compensation due for easements for each property owner based on the stored contract terms. “This is truly a huge relief—it’s a game-changer for large projects!” the project developer says with conviction.
Positive Conclusion
The most noticeable effect is already evident during project preparation and contract drafting: “What used to take one to two days can now be completed in about 30 minutes by experienced users of rmDATA Info using the automated contract generation feature,” reports Huscava, adding that Excel lists have been completely phased out and are not missed by the team.
Centralized deadline management ensures that time-limited option contracts are always kept in view, and thanks to the map view, the overview of all projects is now so good that even senior management enjoys using it. Huscava expects the planned automated billing process to yield significant cost savings, particularly for very large projects involving many small parcels of land.
“rmDATA Info makes project preparation and contract drafting so much easier: What used to take us one to two days is now done in about 30 minutes with rmDATA Info’s automated contract drafting feature.”
“Based on the contract terms on file, rmDATA Info automatically calculates the compensation due to each property owner—this really makes things a lot easier and is a true game-changer for large projects!”
Are you interested in a centralized data management system for your projects?
Our experts would be happy to provide you with a no-obligation consultation.
About WLK energy
The WLK Group is an energy company based in Lower Austria, with its headquarters in Untersiebenbrunn. The company plans, builds, and operates power plants that generate electricity from renewable energy sources and considers itself an expert in the sustainable use of natural resources.
The focus is on long-term, stable partnerships with municipalities and citizens, landowners, as well as industry and commerce. Together with these partners, the company develops modern facilities to ensure a regional, crisis-proof, and environmentally friendly electricity supply. The range of services extends from project development through construction and operation to energy supply and post-operational support.
Protecting nature and treating customers and partners with respect—while addressing their needs—are our top priorities.
