Acciona will strengthen its leading position in the Mexican wind power sector by adding a further 306MW to the 250.5MW it already operates, once it completes three new wind farms it has been selected to construct and operate in Oaxaca state (Mexico). The Spanish company won the tender, which will cost a total of €450 million, in the face of competition from rival bidders Iberdrola Renovables, Recursos Eólicos de México (ACS), and Enerfin Sociedad de Energía (part of the Elecnor group), all of which are also Spanish.
The Oaxaca II, Oaxaca III and Oaxaca IV wind farms (102MW each), all of which will be located in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec region, will feature Acciona’s 1.5MW wind turbines (204 units in all). Construction work will get under way in 2010 and the parks are expected to come into operation in 2011. According to estimates by Mexico’s Federal Electricity Commission (CFE), annual average output of the three wind parks will come to a total 1,129GWh.
12.7% of 2013 wind power objective
According to Acciona: “This new contract further cements Acciona’s leadership of Mexico’s wind power sector”. The company has installations located in an area with excellent wind potential, which ensure a profitable return on investment in a country that stands among Acciona's key markets, as stated in the company’s recently-presented Strategic Plan 2010-2013.
Acciona already has one wind park in operation in Mexico, the 250.5 MW Eurus facility – the largest wind power installation in Latin America in terms of installed capacity - , which delivers electricity to Cemex cement production plants across the country. The Eurus facility is located in the same area as the newly awarded parks.
This latest deal accounts for 12.7% of the wind power implementation objective to 2013 envisaged in Acciona’s Strategic Plan.
As well as marketing the energy produced at these facilities, these wind parks will be able to obtain and sell Emission Reduction Certificates, as Mexico is eligible for the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanisms.
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