Wind energy in Brazil: Iberdrola leads the bidding

The Spanish company Iberdrola led a tender for the sale of wind energy to the Brazilian government. Iberdrola has been awarded a contract to sell 109.5 megawatts of wind power to be generated in nine wind farms in the northeast of the country and which will receive an annual amount of 128.58 million reais (about 72.97 million U.S. dollars) .

The price per megawatt hour negotiated with the Spanish company varies between 132.8 and 137.99 reais (75.36 and $78.31 per MWh) and the supply contract has a period of 20 years from January 2013 according to data released by the regulator, the National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel).

The second company was awarded more wind power was the Brazilian Asa Branca, will sell 108.3 megawatts per U.S. $ 71.97 million.

The auction, which also included other sources of renewable energies such as biomass thermal and small hydro, served the Brazilian government to contract 714.3 megawatts of average power in exchange for 17,537 million reals (U.S. $ 9,952 million) .

In the tender will be awarded 50 wind farms with an average power of 643.9 megawatts, five hydroelectric plants (48.1 MW) and a thermal biomass (22.3 MW) which produces energy by burning sugar cane waste .

The average selling price for the wind power and the heat was 134.23 reais ($ 76.18) per megawatt hour, while for the hydroelectric plants was 146.99 reais ($ 83.42 per MWh).

All contracts are for twenty years, other than hydropower, amounting to thirty years, also from 2013.

This was the second submission made by the Brazilian Government to buy energy from alternative sources.

The Chamber of Electric Energy Commercialization (CCEE) announced in a statement it is preparing to conduct third auction to buy such power from 2013 and 20-year contract for wind power.

A few days ago Neonergia and Iberdrola Renovables reached an agreement for joint development of wind farms in Brazil. Iberdrola Renovables now has a wind farm in Brazil, Rio do Fogo, located in the State of Rio Grande do Norte, whose installed capacity is 49 MW.

www.iberdrola.es