Global wind and solar company Mainstream Renewable Power has awarded a contract to Senvion to supply and install 93 turbines for two wind power projects in Chile.
Under the contract, Senvion will supply the turbines for the 170MW Sarco and 129MW Aurora wind farms, which are owned by Aela Energia, a joint venture between Actis with 60% stake and Mainstream Renewable Power with 40% interest.
Mainstream CEO Eddie O’Connor of said: "These projects were awarded under a competitive tendering program last year in which wind energy prices came in below fossil fuel prices, clearly demonstrating once again that renewable energy is cheaper than fossil fuel generation."
The firm will supply and install 50 Senvion 3.4M114 turbines, featuring a hub height of 93m, at the Sarco wind project located in the Atacama region of Northern Chile.
Senvion will also be responsible for the supply 43 Senvion 3.0M122 turbines with a hub height of 119m for the Aurora wind farm planned to be built in the Los Lagos region in the south of Chile and about 50km from Puerto Montt.
Upon completion in 2017, the combined capacity of the two projects is estimated to provide clean electricity to power around 196,000 households..
Senvion CEO Jürgen Geissinger said: "We have developed a new turbine, the Senvion 3.4M140, which will provide the most profitable turbine for low-wind sites and therefore our product portfolio is ideally suited for the Chilean market’s requirements."
In 2014, Aela Energía received $860m power purchase agreements (PPA) for the renewable energy supply from five wind farms, with a combined generation capacity of 343MW in Chile.
The 15-year PPAs will supply renewable energy from wind farms, including Sarco and Aurora, to 26 Chilean distribution companies across the country.
Mainstream and Actis launched Aela Energía in 2013 to develop 600MW of wind and solar projects in Chile by 2016.
Image: Mainstream CEO Eddie O’Connor and Senvion global sales and marketing executive vice president Paulo Fernando Soares. Photo: courtesy of Mainstream Renewable Power.