Alstom has signed a contract worth around €25 million with Enerplan, a power company from the Brazilian group Oleoplan, to supply wind turbines to the Pontal wind project in the south of Brazil.
The equipment will be installed in a new wind farm located in Viamão, city of Rio Grande do Sul State. Commissioning is scheduled for end-2015.
The company will supply 10 units of ECO 122 wind turbines, generating 2.7 MW each. The ECO 122 wind turbine has the biggest rotor diameter within the 2 MW to 3 MW onshore turbine segment. It is designed to boost energy yield in low wind regions, and so fits perfectly with Brazilian wind conditions.
The nacelles of the wind turbines will be manufactured at Alstom’s plant in Bahia State and the towers will be produced at Alstom’s new facility in Canoas. Alstom will also be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the wind turbines for five years.
At a wind speed of 7.5 m/s, the turbine delivers a net wind farm capacity factor of up to 42%. Its 122 metre rotor diameter and swept area2 of 11,700 m2 are designed to maximise the energy conversion rate and therefore ROI – it is claimed to produce about 25% greater yield on a given area of land compared to today’s standard 1.5 – 2 MW turbines.
