The wind facility is comprised of six wind farms and is located in the municipalities of Morro do Chapéu and Cafarnaum, in Brazil’s north-eastern state of Bahia.
Enel has invested around $380m in the construction of the facility and is part of the company’s current strategic plan. The financing has been partly met through the company's own resources and from a long-term finance provided Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES).
The six wind farms includes Ventos de Santa Esperança (28MW), Ventos de Santa Dulce (28MW), Ventos de São Mário (30MW), Ventos de São Paulo (28MW), Ventos de São Abraão (28MW) and Boa Vista (30MW).
These six wind farms are expected to generate about 830GWh of clean energy every year, once fully operational. Enel owns these wind farms through four special purpose vehicles (SPVs).
Out of the six wind farms, four are supported by 20-year power purchase agreements (PPAs) with a pool of Brazilian electricity distribution companies. The remaining two including Ventos de São Abraão and Boa Vista are supported by 20-year PPAs signed in the free market.
Enel Green Power (EGP) global renewable energies division head Antonio Cammisecra said: “The start of operations of Morro do Chapéu marks a new, important milestone in the consolidation of our wind footprint in Brazil, following the success obtained in the country’s A-6 tender held at the end of last year.
“Through this latest tender award, we will build over 600 MW of new wind capacity, including Morro do Chapéu II, a 78MW extension of Morro do Chapéu Sul. This achievement, alongside our leadership in the Brazilian solar sector, is further testament to our commitment to contribute our energy to the country’s sustainable growth.”
In January, Enel’s Mexican subsidiary began construction of a 93MW Salitrillos wind farm in the country. The wind farm is located in north-eastern Mexican state of Tamaulipas and is being constructed at a cost of $120m.
This wind farm is scheduled to come online next year and is expected to generate about 400GWh of clean energy annually.
Image: Enel says that the investment is part its current strategic plan. Photo: Courtesy of Jim Frech/FreeImages.com.
