Wind power in Spain: new wind farm in Asturias

Iberdrola’s wind power projects in the Principality of Asturias amount to some 160 MW, making it the leading company in this region

Iberdrola has started to build what will be its first wind farm in the Principality of Asturias, the El Candal facility, with an installed capacity of 38 megawatts (MW).

This new wind farm marks Iberdrola’s entry into the renewables market in Asturias, one of the few regions where the leading company in developing renewable energies in Spain did not have wind power facilities.

Iberdrola is firmly committed to the development of wind energy in Asturias, where it already has in its portfolio projects with a combined capacity of some 160 MW, making it one of the leading companies in the sector in this region.

El Candal wind farm will be located between the municipalities of Castropol and Boal and the company’s subsidiary, IBERDROLA INGENIERÍA, will be in charge of both the construction and commissioning stages.

The wind turbines used will be by Gamesa, making it Iberdrola’s foremost supplier in this region as well. A total of 19 G80 model wind turbines are going to be installed, standing 67 metres high and with an 80m rotor diameter.

The work now being started by Iberdrola follows the purchase of two wind power initiatives from various companies in Asturias last summer: the aforementioned El Candal and the Segregal wind farms, with have a combined capacity of 76 MW.

The two facilities are scheduled for commissioning next year, as they are part of the pre-allocated renewable energy facilities approved by the Government for completion before 31 December 2012.

Almost 100 people will have to be hired for the construction of these two wind farms and a further 20 new permanent jobs are expected to be created for the operation and maintenance stage. In this regard and as is the company’s usual policy, IBERDROLA will give priority to local companies in the region.

It should be highlighted that over 95% of the company’s wind farm operators in Spain are from the municipalities where they have been set up, normally in rural areas.

These wind farms are expected to be joined by a further three wind power facilities, which were awarded to IBERDROLA by the Government of the Principality of Asturias last year and together will account for a joint capacity of 80 MW. These are pending the new wind power regulations to come into force in Spain from 2013 onwards.

These three wind farms are: Regodeseves, 40 MW capacity and located in Villanueva de Oscos; Pico Cuiredo, 32 MW, located between the municipalities of Boal and Illano, and Pico Daviella, 8 MW, in Taramundi.

Iberdrola is the foremost company in the development of renewable energies in Spain, with an installed capacity of 6,862 MW at the end of October of this year. The company has over 5,500 MW in wind power, some 310 MW in mini hydro plants, 50 MW at the concentrating solar thermal power plant in Puertollano (Ciudad Real) and 2 MW at its first forestry biomass power plant in the locality of Corduente (Guadalajara).

The company’s renewable business has operations in 23 countries and is the world leader in this sector, both in terms of power – with an installed capacity of 13,450 MW at the end of September 2011 – and in terms of electricity output – over 20,700 megawatt hours generated in the first nine months of the current year.

By José Santamarta, www.evwind.com