Enel Green Power has commissioned the 716MW Lagoa dos Ventos wind farm in Brazil making it the largest wind farm in operation in South America.
The construction of the wind farm, located in the municipalities of Lagoa do Barro do Piaui, Queimada Nova and Dom Inocencio, north-east of Piaui, required an investment of €620m at the current exchange rate.
“Lagoa dos Ventos is a record-breaking wind project and its entry into operation marks an important one milestone for Enel Green Power, especially in light of the challenges of the global pandemic,” said Salvatore Bernabei, CEO of Enel Green Power.
“As our largest wind farm in the world, Lagoa dos Ventos represents an important step forward for our sustainable growth, as well as supporting the green recovery in Brazil and contributing to the diversification of the country's energy mix."
Lagoa dos Ventos, which is now operating at full capacity, consists of 230 wind turbines.
Out of the total installed capacity of the wind farm, 510MW was awarded to Enel Green Power in the Brazilian A-6 tender in December 2017, which is associated with 20-year energy supply contracts with a pool of operating distribution companies in the Brazilian regulated market.
The energy produced by the remaining 206MW is destined for free market for sale to retail customers, taking advantage of Enel's integrated presence in the country.
In December 2020, Enel announced the start of construction of the the 396MW Lagoa dos Ventos 3, which will require an investment of nearly €360m.
One operational it will take the total capacity of Lagoa dos Ventos to 1.1 GW.
The entire wind farm it will include 302 wind turbines.
Enel Green Power designed an innovative layout based on a high resolution assessment of wind resources, which will optimise Lagoa do Ventos' energy generation, the company said.
The wind farm was built using various “innovative tools and methods”, such as sensors on machinery to increase safety on the construction site, drones for topographic surveys, intelligent tracking of wind turbine components, digital platforms and advanced systems to remotely monitor and support site activities and commissioning, as well as a specific tool for optimising the installation of the wind turbines.
