Enel Green Power España starts construction of 90 MW of new wind capacity in Spain

The total investment in the three facilities amounts to approximately 88 million euros.

“We are glad to announce the start of construction of these new wind projects, Allueva, Sierra Pelarda and Sierra Costera I, which bring the total renewable capacity we are building in Spain to around 900 MW,” said José Bogas, CEO of Endesa. “These plants mark the acceleration on a new wave of growth in the renewable energy space that Endesa is committed to pursue in the next years, driving the energy transition in Spain.”

“Through the construction of these projects, we reaffirm our commitment to leverage on Enel’s sustainable and innovative approach, benefitting the province of Teruel and Spain as a whole,” said Antonio Cammisecra, Head of Enel Green Power (“EGP”), the Enel Group’s Global Renewable Energy business line. “With our relentless work aimed at boosting our installed wind and solar capacity we are concretely diversifying the Spanish energy mix and helping the country towards its renewable energy targets.”

The three wind farms are slated to enter into operation by the end of 2019, and once completed they are expected to generate over 295 GWh per year, while avoiding the annual emission of approx. 196,000 tons of CO₂ into the atmosphere. The expected capacity of the 7-turbine Allueva plant exceeds 25 MW, while that of the 4-turbine Sierra Pelarda wind farm, situated in Fonfría, is roughly 15 MW. The largest of the three facilities is the 14-turbine Sierra Costera I, which will boast a capacity of around 50 MW and is spread across the municipalities of Mezquita de Jarque, Fuentes Calientes, Cañada Vellida and Rillo.

With these facilities, EGPE currently has a total of six wind farms under construction in the Teruel province, including those in Muniesa, Farlán and San Pedro de Alacón, which are also due to enter into operation by the end of 2019. The six wind farms will have a total installed capacity of around 218 MW and are due to generate about 708 GWh per year, avoiding the annual emission of approximately 470,000 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.

EGPE will use a variety of innovative tools and methods to build these parks, such as drones for topographic survey, smart tracking of wind turbine components, as well as advanced digital platforms and software solutions to monitor and remotely support site activities and plant commissioning. These processes and tools will enable swifter, more accurate and reliable data collection, improving the quality of construction and facilitating communication between on-site and off-site teams. In addition, the building phase of the three projects will be based on Enel Green Power's "Sustainable Construction Site” model, including the installation of photovoltaic solar panels at each construction site to meet part of their energy needs. Moreover, water saving measures will be implemented through the installation of water tanks and rainwater collection systems; once construction works are completed, both the PV panels and the water saving equipment will be donated to the municipalities where the projects are located for public use.

The six wind farms under construction in Teruel are part of the 540 MW that EGPE was awarded in the Spanish government's renewable energy tender held in May 2017. In Aragon, the company will invest around 434 million euros to build 13 wind farms with a total installed capacity of more than 380 MW and an annual expected output of 1,240 GWh. The remaining 160 MW of wind capacity will be located in Andalusia, Castile-Léon, Castile-La Mancha and Galicia. Once fully operational, the new facilities will generate approximately 1,750 GWh per year. EGPE was also awarded 339 MW of solar capacity in the Spanish government's auction held in July 2017.

The investment in the construction of the overall 879 MW of new wind and solar plants awarded in the last two tenders will exceed 800 million euros, while all of these new renewable facilities, once operational, will increase EGPE’s capacity by around 52.4%.