The 95 MW facility is the largest in the Caribbean, and is producing enough electricity to power 30,000 homes, according to Puerto Rico Governor Luis G. Fortuno.
Originally planned as a 75 MW project, Fortuno said the increased output -- without any increase to project size -- was achieved through a recent agreement between Pattern and the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA).
The increased output will further advance the Administration's commitment to reduce the Island's dependence on oil by diversifying energy sources to produce cheaper, cleaner and safer energy, he said.
Hunter Armistead, Executive Director of Pattern Energy, said "This is major milestone for renewable energy production in Puerto Rico, an outstanding achievement five years in the making and one that we are very proud to have accomplished in close collaboration with our local partners, with the help of the good people of Santa Isabel and the full support of Governor Fortuno and his team."
The Fortuno Administration has set forth an aggressive plan to diversify Puerto Rico's energy sources to comply with the law and exceed the goal of generating 12% of energy by renewable energy by 2015, 15 percent by 2020 and 20 percent by 2035.
Fortuno emphasized that there are renewable energy projects in operation and under construction in several areas of the island that constitute over 220MW of energy from clean, renewable sources.
"As in Santa Isabel today, we recently inaugurated the AES Ilumina solar project in Guayama. Other projects are soon coming to completion, such as Gestamp's wind farm in Punta Lima, Naguabo. Other projects around the island currently under construction will soon be online, making our system stronger and more diverse. That will help us continue our efforts to lower the energy production costs on the Island," said PREPA executive director Josue Colon.
Finca de Viento Santa Isabel is the first wind power project developed by Pattern Energy in the Caribbean. It is comprised of 44 state-of-the-art Siemens SWT-2.3-108 wind turbines with the capacity to generate up to 95 MW. Pattern has entered into a 20-year Power Purchase and Operating Agreement with the PREPA for all of the clean energy generated from the project.
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