Iberdrola Renovables says that its strong focus on the US market places it in a good position to exploit the favourable climate for renewable energy development expected under Barack Omaba’s presidency.
The Spanish renewable energy firm says that it added 460 MW of installed capacity to its US wind farm portfolio in December 2008, and “fully expects the US to step up its commitment to clean energy sources”. Some 41 per cent of Iberdrola Renovables’ pipeline is located in the USA.
The newly-inaugurated US president has put clean energy technologies at the heart of his economic stimulus plan. Initiatives that he is expected to launch include a mandatory national renewable portfolio standard, an extension of the tax break system and a doubling of the amount of power produced from renewable energy sources in the next three years.
Iberdrola Renovables’ has a total renewable energy pipeline of 54 579 MW – the largest in the world in this sector. In December it installed wind farms in Oregon, Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota, and expects all of these facilities to start commercial operation in early 2009.
The company reported a global installed wind capacity of 8488 MW and the end of Q3 2008, representing year-on-year growth of over 70 per cent. It is the second-largest operator of wind farms in the USA.