Wind power firm Siemens Gamesa has announced plans to develop a 465 MW wind farm in Brazil, which will feature its newest and most powerful wind turbines.
The company has signed an agreement with Essentia Energia, a renewable power-focused subsidy of Patria Investments, and will see the facility, dubbed the São Vitor Wind Farm, commissioned by the end of 2022. The farm will consist of 75 SG 5.8-170 turbines, the latest and largest in its 5.8 range of turbines, which each boast a power output of up to 6.2 MW, and the company aims to complete construction of the prototypes in early 2021 ahead of construction at the facility.
“This is a great step forward for Brazilian renewable energy, which will help bring clean energy to many thousands more,” said Lars Bondo Krogsgaard, CEO for Siemens Gamesa’s onshore business. “The project will also employ market leading technology that means we can install less turbines while producing higher energy capacity.
“We are glad to do this alongside such a strong financial partner, Patria Investments, an alliance that we hope to build on in coming years.”
The deal follows a similar agreement between Siemens Gamesa and Brazilian power company AES, which saw the firms agree to the installation of 52 5.8-170 turbines in the state of Bahia in early 2021. These agreements are the latest in a series of moves intended to improve wind power generation in Brazil, with a report from the country’s Energy Research Office noting that in 2018, wind power production was 14.4% higher than in 2017. However, this total is just 7.6% of the country’s total domestic power supply, and electricity from wind production is one-tenth that of burning sugar cane for power.
However, both Siemens Gamesa and Essentia Energia are optimistic that deals such as theirs will help address Brazil’s imbalanced energy mix. The Global Wind Energy Council reported that Brazil is the seventh-largest market for wind energy in the world, suggesting that despite the entrenched nature of fossil fuels, there remains potential for clean energy development in the country.
“Renewable energy has been a fundamental sector for Patria Investments within our infrastructure practice,” said Marcelo Souza, Essentia Energia chairman. “We live in an era in which sustainability and the environment are a growing concern for society. In this context, renewable energy becomes even more relevant.
“This partnership reinforces our commitment to the sector and our active participation in the development of an area that is critical for the region.”
