Iberdrola Renovables Wins Contract For 103 MW La Venta III Wind Farm In Mexico

Iberdrola Renovables, S.A. (Iberdrola Renovables) has received a construction contract from the Mexican Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) for the La Venta III wind farm following an international public tender. As per the contract, Iberdrola will supply energy to the CFE, for the next 20 years. The wind farm is located in the municipality of. The farm will use 21 G52 wind turbines built by Gamesa Eolica S.A., each measuring 44 metres in height and with an output of 850 kW.

The wind farm will have an installed capacity of 102.85 megawatt (MW). Construction will start in 2009 and the facility is slated to come on stream in November 2010.

It will meet the energy needs of around 200.000 people, avoiding the emission of 160,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.

The start-up of the La Venta III wind farm will contribute to the economic development of the state of Oaxaca, one of the most promising areas in Mexico for the development of wind farms due to its high wind levels. In fact, this project is the first in a series of CFE initiatives to install 500 MW of wind capacity in the state over the coming years.

Iberdrola is spearheading the development of new renewables facilities in Mexico. In January 2009 the company inaugurated the 80 MW La Ventosa facility, the second wind farm built in Mexico and the first developed entirely with private capital. The construction of the La Ventosa farm, also in Oaxaca, created an average of 350 jobs while the rent paid for the land it is built on will provide income for more than 150 families in the area.

This new contract continues Iberdrola’s international expansion and it is currently present in over twenty three countries. The company consolidated its global leadership in the sector in 2008 after investing a total of EUR3.8 billion to increase its installed capacity by 2,204 MW to 9,302 MW in the year. Its project pipeline, the largest in the sector, stood at 55,117 MW at the end of 2008. Of this, 41% of projects are in the US, 24.6% in Spain, 9.6% in the UK and 24.7% in the rest of the world.