Lagoa dos Ventos project is a 716MW onshore wind farm being developed in the state of Piauí, Brazil. Enel Green Power Brasil Participacoes (EGPB), a Brazilian unit of Enel, is the project developer.
Construction on the project was started in February 2019, while operations are expected to be commenced in 2021.
The project is currently the biggest wind project under construction in South America and is expected to generate 3.3TWh of electricity a year, upon completion. It is expected to offset more than 1.6 million of carbon emissions.
The €700m ($791m) Lagoa dos Ventos wind farm is a part of Enel’s 2019-’21 strategic plan and will be entirely funded from own sources.
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Lagoa dos Ventos wind farm location and development history
The renewable energy project falls within the Lagoa do Barro do Piaui and Queimada Nova and Dom municipalities of the state of Piaui, Brazil.
Of the total proposed capacity, Enel Green Power secured 510MW under the A-6 public tender conducted by the Brazilian government in December 2017.
Lagoa dos Ventos wind farm make-up
The Lagoa dos Ventos project will feature 230 wind turbines, the installation of which is expected to be commenced in October 2019.
The Nordex AW125-type wind turbines will be mounted on 120m-tall concrete-steel towers.
Each turbine will have a rotor diameter of 125m and a swept area of 12,305m². The cut-in and cut-out wind speeds of the turbines are 3.5m/s and 25m/s, respectively.
The turbine belongs to the IEC IIb wind class and will have a power generation capacity ranging from 3MWto 3.3MW.
The six-pole, double-feeding generator unit has a frequency range of 50Hz-60Hz and will operate at a nominal voltage of 12kV.
The steel tower has a hub height 87.5m and is divided into three to four steel sections. The nacelle will be 10.9m-long, 4.09m-wide and 4.15m tall and weigh 108t.
Offtake of electricity generated at Lagoa dos Ventos
EGPB will supply 510MW of the total electricity generated to multiple power distribution companies in the regulated market as part of the December 2017 tender. The remaining 206MW electricity from Lagoa dos Ventos project will be sold to retail customers in the open market.
Details of the innovative technology to be employed at Lagoa dos Ventos
EGPB proposes to employ innovative plant layout system for the wind farm in order to optimize the project’s energy output.
Proximity sensors will be installed on the machinery to boost site safety, while drones will be used for for collecting topographic information. Other tools and methods to be used include smart tracking equipment for turbine components, and digital platforms and software to monitor and remotely support site activities as well as commissioning.
Enel also proposes to implement the sustainable construction site model, which focuses on water saving, lighting efficiency, and recycling measures.
Contractors involved
Nordex Group is the supplier of 191 AW125 wind turbines for the Brazilian wind farm and will provide services for the turbines for two years.
Marketing commentary on Enel Group
Enel Group, a multi-national energy company based in Italy, manages approximately 2.9GW of renewable capacity in Brazil through its subsidiaries EGPB and Enel Brasil.
Enel generates 842MW from wind segment, 820MW from solar phot-voltaic (PV) segment, and 1.3GW from hydro segment.
EGPB secured contracts for developing more than 1GW of electricity in Brazil through multiple tenders in 2017.