Arauco wind farm in Argentina installs new wind turbines

The Arauco Wind Farm in La Rioja successfully completed the transportation and unloading of the components necessary for the installation of the new wind turbines that will make up the second stage of the PEA 3 project, which has been financed with funds from the sale of the Arauco Park II to the company Pampa Energía during 2022.

The Park’s Works Manager, Eng. Rodrigo de la Vega, reported that the transfer tasks, which began on June 29, 2024, ended on October 14, marking a very important event in the progress of the project.

The Arauco Park in La Rioja successfully completed the transportation and unloading of the components necessary for the installation of the new wind turbines that will make up the second stage of the PEA 3 project, which has been financed with funds from the sale of the Arauco Park II to the company Pampa Energía during 2022.

The Park’s Works Manager, Eng. Rodrigo de la Vega, reported that the transfer tasks, which began on June 29, 2024, ended on October 14, marking a very important event in the progress of the project.
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“It took three and a half months to transport all the components from the port of Zárate to the Arauco Park. In total, more than 180 trips were necessary to transport the parts that make up the 18 wind turbines that will complete the second phase of the PEA 3,” explained de la Vega. These components, of Siemens Gamesa technology, come mostly from factories in China and include three tower sections, a nacelle, a hub, a spinner, three blades, a drivetrain, which together require ten trucks to transport each wind turbine.

During this stage, large-scale equipment was used, including two cranes (a main one of 300 tons and an auxiliary one of 130 tons), a telescopic handler and a hydrocrane. In addition, 20 people from the Siemens Gamesa contractor team and its subcontractors participated, with the supervision of the Park’s Works Management and the Health and Safety Area. “The tasks were carried out safely, planned and in compliance with all the planned work procedures, without any work accidents to regret,” added de la Vega.

The next phase of the project, which includes the assembly and commissioning of the wind turbines, will begin the week of November 25, 2024. “For this stage, more equipment will be added, including a 600-ton main crane and secondary cranes of 220 and 130 tons, among others; and the workforce will increase to 90 specialized technicians,” explained the engineer, who also announced that the estimated time to complete the assembly and commissioning is seven months, with the completion of the park expected by June or July 2025.

With the installation of these new wind turbines, the PEA 3 project will reach an installed capacity of almost 100 megawatts (MW). “These 18 wind turbines will add an additional 63.9 MW, which, together with the current 35.5 MW, will allow us to reach 99.4 MW of the PEA 3 project,” concluded the Works Manager.

Once these 18 new wind turbines are installed, there will be a total of 101 wind turbines installed and operating throughout the Parque Arauco site.

Parque Arauco continues to position itself as a fundamental pillar in the development of renewable energies in Argentina, contributing to the country’s sustainable energy supply.