wind

AEE (Spain

Asociación Empresarial Eólica (AEE, Spain's Wind Power Industry Association) informed during the presentation of its new annual report, Eólica 2006, that the high prices of the wind kWh during 2005 were temporary and cannot be used to revisit the industry's retribution scheme Fernando Ferrando, AEE Presidente, stated that the high prices seen in the electricity pool during 2005 "cannot be the base to revisit the retribution of this industry. 2005 was a year "temporarily high" compared to 2004, with prices "below those fixed by the Royal Decree 436/2004 for ensuring profitability conditions in the industry”.

“Wind power is going to the pool and therefore we will have year with higher prices and others with lower ones, and we cannot let a bad year make us lose sight of the forest”, he added.

Mr Ferrando also said that investment costs have grown steadily. In 2004 these were 1.005 million euros per MW installed. Last year they reached 1.15 million and they could touch 1.35 million euros by 2010. This amount is already being paid in the US.

Regional caps
As concerns the criticism coming from the Spanish regions about the limits set on wind power development from the Ministry of Industry, the AEE President believes that these limits must be understood as "guidance, not binding". Notwithstanding, "they are a negative sign that can make the Renewable Energy Plan goals (20,155 MW BY 2010) more difficult to achieve”.

In this sense, the AEE Technical Director, Mr Alberto Ceña, explained that the great growth rate seen in 2004 starts to cool, and estimated that some new 1,500 MW will be installed in 2006, the same figure as last year. However, he said that in order to achieve the 20,155 MW goal by 2010 it would be necessary to install some 1,900 MW per year. According to AEE, it would be technically possible to install as much as 29,000 MW in Spain.

Eólica 2006 , AEE's annual report, can be downloaded from its webiste: www.aeeolica.org

For additional information:
www.aeeolica.org

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