The contracts also include a VestasOnline® Business SCADA system, a Condition Monitoring System, as well as a 12-year service agreement including the Active Output Management package ‘AOM4000’ for both wind energy projects. The AOM 4000 is a full-scope service contract, consisting of scheduled and unscheduled maintenance and consumables, which offers solid risk management for customers, who want an availability guarantee measured against an agreed threshold. This type of contract offers customers assured performance avoiding unforeseen operational costs of any kind.
Delivery of the wind turbines for the Brulles and the Zapateros wind power plants is scheduled to start in Q3 2011 and the projects are expected to be completed in Q1 2012.
The order has been placed by BRULLES EOLICA S.L.U. and CYL ENERGIA EOLICA S.L.U., which both belong to VAPAT, a local company in Castilla León in Spain with extensive experience in wind energy projects. The company has been a pioneer in Europe within installation of wind power plants with the V90-2.0 MW wind turbines with of 105-meter hub height obtaining excellent results on sites with low wind potential. The Spanish region of Castilla y León has the largest installed wind base in Spain with more than 4,800 MW as of 1 January 2011, and ambitious wind targets for the following years. Different companies in the VAPAT Group will continue developing new wind projects in Castilla y León.
Miguel Picardo, General Manager of Vestas Iberia emphasises: “It is very positive for the Spanish wind industry that companies continue supporting the development of wind even when the market is still lacking long-term visibility. This is the reason why companies developing large wind projects, such as VAPAT, choose to work together with strong and reliable technological partners who are able to provide business case certainty. We are pleased that once again VAPAT has selected Vestas as their preferred turbine and service supplier for this important wind investment in Spain.”
“This order directly supports Vestas’ vision for the wind energy industry: ‘Wind, Oil and Gas’, and we look forward to continuing working together with VAPAT on these projects. Wind energy covers today the electricity needs of 10 million households in Spain and employs more than 35,000 professionals. As the pioneering wind technology company solely committed to wind, we believe that these figures can be much higher, provided that the right decisions are made to facilitate the accomplishment of the Spanish renewable energy targets for 2020 and that the market offers the necessary regulatory certainty for wind investments to continue taking place,” concludes Juan Araluce, President of Vestas Mediterranean.
The above-mentioned wind power plants have a total estimated production of 321,500 MWh per year, which corresponds to an annual emission saving of 125,385 tons of CO2 emissions. Furthermore, it will provide enough electricity to cover the residential electricity consumption of more than 201,440 people in Spain.
Vestas has previously delivered to other companies within the VAPAT Group 47 V90-2.0 MW wind turbines with a 105-meter hub height for two other projects in Castilla y León; this technology together with a detailed planning has optimised the wind resources at the different sites. The 2 MW platform is the industry’s most proven turbine ‘family’ with more than 7,800 installations worldwide. This means high reliability, low operational downtime and high performance.
Vestas in Spain
Vestas has operated in Spain since the 80’ies. As of 31 December 2010, Vestas has delivered to the Spanish market more than 3,587 MW and has a workforce close to 2,000 employees.
In Spain, Vestas has established five production factories in Ciudad Real, León, Soria y Lugo for the production of nacelles, blades, hubs, control systems and generators. Besides, in the headquarters of Vestas Mediterranean in Madrid, Vestas has established a Performance & Diagnostic Centre and a Surveillance Centre monitoring and controlling 24/7 the more than 4,000 wind turbines operating in the Mediterranean region.
Vestas has also several service and maintenance centres in the Spanish territory and a spare parts and repair centre in Cataluña dedicated to servicing some main wind turbine components. In addition, the first prototype of the V112-3.0 MW turbine installed outside Denmark has been established in Spain.
