Wind Energy

Wind energy in Brazil: GE to build $35 million plant in Bahia

General Electric plans to build a $35 million wind power plant in the northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia to assemble wind turbines as the market for wind farm surges in the South American country, Reinaldo Garcia, head of the company’s operations in Latin America, said Wednesday.

The wind energy plant will be built during the next six to 12 months, Garcia told reporters in Rio de Janeiro. Brazil has seen interest in wind-power projects take off over the past decade, and has been adding about 2,000 megawatts of new wind-power capacity every year as prices for wind power fall below the costs of other sources. GE reportedly has secured about one-fifth of the supply contracts for those Brazilian wind farms.

Wind energy in Brazil

1997: 3 MW
1998: 17 MW
1999: 19 MW
2000: 22 MW
2001: 24 MW
2002: 22 MW
2003: 24 MW
2004: 24 MW
2005: 29 MW
2006: 237 MW
2007: 247 MW
2008: 339 MW
2009: 606 MW
2010: 931 MW
2011: 1,509 MW
2020: 20,000 MW (p)

www.ge.com