Largest wind farm in Spain generating electricity at market price. First Spanish project for Enlight Renewable Energy.
Nordex has obtained a large order from Spain end of June: the Group will supply and install N149/4.0-4.5 wind turbines in the 4.8 MW operating mode for the 312 MW “Gecama” wind farm. The customer is Enlight Renewable Energy, an Israeli power utility using renewable energy. “Gecama” is the first project in Spain for the company, which operates in Israel and Europe, and the first joint project with the Nordex Group. The order also includes a Premium Service contract covering a period of 20 years.
The “Gecama” project is being set up near the city of Cuenca in the region of Castilla-La Mancha. The Nordex Group will install the Delta4000 turbines with a hub height of 120 metres on concrete towers that the company will produce by itself in its new Spanish factory in Motilla del Palancar in Castilla-La Mancha which starts operation in August 2020. The Nordex Group has been using its own concrete-only towers in addition to tubular steel and hybrid towers since 2006. So far the Nordex Group has installed more than 1,000 turbines worldwide using this tower variant. The Nordex Group also manufactures the nacelles and rotor blades for “Gecama” in Spain. Overall, “Gecama” will be Spain’s largest wind farm to date with the electricity generated being sold at the market price.
“We are pleased that our technology is able to make a major contribution to the expansion of wind energy in Spain with another project. We are happy to support Enlight with its first wind project in this country and are delighted that Israel’s largest wind farm developer and operator has opted for the turbines from the Delta4000 series. In addition to the low cost of energy and high yields, the N149/4.0-4.5 is particularly suitable for the local wind conditions,” says Patxi Landa, CSO of the Nordex Group.
Gilad Yavetz, chief executive officer of Enlight Renewable Energy, said: “We are thrilled to have Nordex Group as our supplier at “Gecama” wind farm. Nordex Group is one of the most successful and recognized companies with high capabilities to fit our needs at the fast growing European market. “Gecama” project, the largest wind farm in Spain, will provide clean energy to 260,000 households and prevent emissions of 150,000 tons of CO2 per year. This project is another achievement for us in our long journey”.
Enlight Renewable Energy, founded in 2008, trades on the Tel-Aviv-125 Index. With 98% of its shares held by the public, Enlight is a leading company in the development, financing, construction, and operations of renewable energy generation projects. The company has operations in Israel and Europe with a diversified portfolio of income-generating projects that total over 750 megawatts. An additional 575 megawatts are in advanced stages towards construction, and 2,000 megawatts more are in initial development stages. Enlight enjoys consistent growth in revenues from long term electricity sales of its yielding assets, and in parallel increasing its diversification to additional markets and clean energy segments.
The Group has installed more than 28 GW of wind energy capacity in over 40 markets and in 2019 generated revenues of EUR 3.3 billion. The company currently employs a workforce of approx. 7,500. The joint manufacturing capacity includes factories in Germany, Spain, Brazil, the United States, India, Argentina and Mexico. The product portfolio is focused on onshore turbines in the 2.4 to 5.X MW class, which are tailor-made for the market requirements of countries with limited space and regions with limited grid capacity.
