Wind Energy

IMPSA Installs First Wind Turbine at Argentina?s Largest Wind Farm

In October 2008, IMPSA began construction for the first phase, which consists of a 2.1-MW IMPSA Unipower IWP77 wind turbine . This unit is undergoing its test phase and should be operational at the beginning of February 2010.

At the same time, IMPSA is working on the foundations of the second phase of the Arauco Wind Farm, consisting of 11 other Unipower IWP77 wind turbines. These units are scheduled to be operational by July 2010, amounting to 25 MW of environmentally friendly energy production. The wind power capacity is expected to be doubled in 2011, reaching 50 MW with 24 wind turbines.

The Arauco Wind Farm is being developed by the government of the Province of La Rioja, with the technical and economical assistance of Energía Argentina S.A. (ENARSA) (Buenos Aires, Argentina), a state-owned oil and energy company that will provide US$25.67 million of the total investment amount of US$63.22 million.

With a power generation matrix depending heavily on fossil fuel-fired power plants and hydropower stations, the installed capacity from wind energy amounts to only 30 MW in Argentina.

The government is taking steps to develop wind power in Argentina. At the moment, Enarsa is holding a tender for the development of renewable energies.

Patagonia in Argentina has some of the best conditions in the world for wind power generation. Not only are the winds strong in Patagonia, but they are also fierce in the south of Buenos Aires province and interior provinces such as Córdoba. Blessed with such potential, Argentina should be a world leader in wind energy.

IMPSA Wind is the business unit devoted to the design, production and commercialization of high-powered wind turbines equipment. It also provides wind farms under EPC conditions. IMPSA Wind emerged due to the synergy of the different business units of the company prior to product creation; aplying the main characteristics of each one:

* The original knowledge on fluid mechanics and salient pole synchronous generators.
* The expertise in handling high structures and frequency conversion.
* The knowledge on automation.

IMPSA Wind has the technological capacity to perform basic studies for setting up a wind farm and to evaluate its feasibility from the technical, environmental and economical viewpoints.

www.impsa.com.ar