Alstom has signed a contract worth around €200 million ($287 million) with Brazil-based Brasventos S.A., to build and maintain three wind farms in the northeast region of the country.
The three wind farms are to be located in Rio Grande do Norte State and will have a total production capacity of 580,000 megawatt hours per year. This figure translates to supplying power to more than 100,000 households in the region, while saving up to 300,000 tons of carbon dioxide every year.
The farms belong to Brazilian Brasventos, a special purpose company composed of J. Malucelli Energia, a company focused in generation and transmission of electricity, and Eletrobras Eletronorte, a public utility in the northern regions of Brazil, along with its subsidiary, Eletrobras Furnas.
Under the agreement, Alstom will supply, install, commission and maintain the turbines of the wind farms. These wind farms will make use of the French company’s Eco 86 wind turbine, which stands 80 meters tall and can generate 1.65 MW each – suited for the region’s medium to high wind conditions and complex coastal terrain.
The wind turbine generators will be manufactured in Alstom’s new manufacturing plant in Bahia. Brazil with partial supplies from their plant in Buñuel, Spain.
There were no details given as to when the project will commence development.
Alfonso Faubel, Alstom’s wind business vice president, noted that this is the largest wind project they have had in Brazil to date.
“The projects will support the government’s commitment to develop Brazil’s wind power market,” he added.
Prior to Alstom and Brasventos’ agreement, the wind turbine manufacturer also signed a €100 million-contract with Brazilian renewable power generating company, Desenvix. The contract signed was to build a 90 MW wind farm complex in Bahia, also in the north-eastern part of Brazil.
Brazil has been stepping up its efforts in maximizing their wind power potential since last year. By the end of the month of April 2010, the country has put up for bidding 399 wind farms planned to be built in the north-east region.
The move was done in part of a huge project to develop around 14,520 MW of renewable energy.
Empresa de Pesquisa Energetica, the country’s national energy research agency, announced this May that wind energy accounts for 11 gigawatts out of the 23 GW registered for two auctions for power contracts scheduled in July.
