Enel is investing around 2.5 billion Brazilian reais in the construction of the new 399 MW section of Lagoa dos Ventos. The new extension will bring the total installed capacity of Lagoa dos Ventos wind complex to more than 1.5 GW.
Lagoa dos Ventos is South America’s largest wind farm currently in operation.
Enel Green Power Brasil, the renewable generation arm of Enel Brasil, has started construction of Lagoa dos Ventos V wind farm (399 MW), the second expansion of the Lagoa dos Ventos wind complex, which is currently the largest operating wind farm in South America. Enel is investing around 2.5 billion Brazilian reais in the construction of Lagoa dos Ventos V, located in the municipality of Dom Inocêncio, in Brazil’s Northeast state of Piauí. The first expansion of Lagoa dos Ventos wind farm, which construction works started in 2020, is partially in operation and is expected to be fully up and running by the end of the year. Considering the whole wind complex, Lagoa dos Ventos currently has around 1 GW in operation and, once fully up and running, will reach 1.5 GW of installed capacity.
“Since we started the construction on the first stage of Lagoa dos Ventos in 2019, we knew that this was an important milestone for Enel Group and a new benchmark in terms of the scale of renewable projects in the Brazilian electricity sector. We are proud to now begin construction on the second expansion of the complex, which consolidates Lagoa dos Ventos as a wind giant. We intend to make the most of the synergies generated by our long presence in the region to put this new park into operation as soon as possible and continue contributing to the diversification of the country’s energy mix, making available clean, reliable, and economically competitive energy,” said Bruno Riga, Head of Enel Green Power in Brazil.
The Lagoa dos Ventos V wind farm will consist of 70 wind turbines. When fully operational, it will be able to generate about 1,670 GW per year, avoiding the emission of more than 910,000 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere annually. With the second expansion of Lagoa dos Ventos, the total installed capacity of the complex will reach more than 1.5 GW, with 372 wind turbines capable of generating more than 6.7 TWh per year and avoiding the emission of more than 3.6 million tons of CO2 in the atmosphere each year.
Given the scale of the project, Enel Green Power designed an innovative plant layout based on a high- resolution assessment of wind resources to optimize energy production at Lagoa dos Ventos. The company is using a variety of innovative tools and methods in the construction of the park, such as drones for surveying, intelligent tracking of wind turbine components and digital platforms and software solutions to remotely monitor and support activities at the construction sites, as well as tools for projecting and monitoring the work in 3D, 4D and 5D. All these solutions enable faster, more accurate and reliable data collection, increasing construction quality and facilitating communication between the teams. The innovations extend to safety in the execution of the project, reinforcing Enel’s main commitment. In Lagoa dos Ventos, the company uses, for example, proximity sensors in machines to further increase the safety of workers. The company also implemented initiatives in line with Enel Green Power’s “Sustainable Construction Site” model at the construction sites, such as actions to save water and reuse rainwater, as well as measures to improve lighting efficiency.
In line with Enel Group’s commitment to Creating Shared Value (CSV), Enel Green Power has developed, since the beginning of the construction of the wind complex, several Sustainability actions, based on ongoing dialogue with the local community. In all, more than 75 environmental education, citizenship, health, diversity, culture, and professional training projects were developed, with about 80,000 beneficiaries.
Enel Group currently has a total renewable installed capacity of more than 4.9 GW in Brazil, of which more than 2.4 GW are from wind, about 1.2 GW are from solar and about 1.3 GW from hydro.
Enel Green Power®, within Enel Group, develops and operates renewable energy plants and is present in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and Oceania. A world leader in clean energy, with total capacity of over 55 GW and a generation mix that includes wind, solar, geothermal, and hydropower, Enel Green Power is at the forefront of integrating innovative technologies into renewable energy plants.
