Alstom has signed a contract with Güris Construction and Engineering Co. Inc. through Güris’ subsidiary, Eolos Wind Energy Generation Co. Inc. for the construction of a new wind farm in Turkey – Alstom’s first wind power contract in the country.
The 24 MW Senkoy wind farm, to be built near the city of Hatay, in the southern part of Turkey, will consist of eight ECO 100 wind turbines of 3MW each and is expected to become operational in late 2011 or early 2012. Under the terms of the contract, Alstom will supply, install and commission the wind farm, and provide operation and maintenance services for the first five years.
Turkey’s electricity consumption is increasing by an average of 8-9% per year. To help meet this demand the country is increasingly turning to renewable energy sources as a means of improving energy security and curbing its dependence on imported gas.
Turkey has around 46.5 GW installed generation capacity of which just over 1.1 GW is wind power. Recent years have seen the start of a wind energy boom in the country. In 2009, 343 MW of new capacity was added. Installed capacity is expected to grow at between 500-1000 MW per year, reaching more than 5000 MW before 2015. Turkey targets 20 GW of wind capacity by 2023.