Iberdrola Renewables raises capacity to 10.75 GW

In wind energy, 9,628 million kWh were generated in Spain, 7,731 million kWh in the US, 1,764 million kWh in the UK and 1,786 million kWh in the rest of the world.

The largest increases in output in 2009 were in the UK, with 43.8% (+537 million kWh), the US, with 42.9% (+2,323 million kWh) and the rest of the world, with 35.2% (+465 million kWh).

In addition, in the fourth quarter last year Iberdrola Renewables achieved a new record output of 6,438 million kWh, after producing 4,467 million kWh in the third quarter.

The company raised its installed capacity in 2009 by 1,450 megawatts (MW) or 16% to 10,752 MW. Interestingly, over half of this capacity is located outside of Spain. Wind power, which represents nearly 97% of total capacity, still forms the core of the company’s business.

Iberdrola Renewables current capacity is equivalent to 11 average-sized Spanish nuclear power plants, enough to displace the emission of some 9 million tonnes of CO(2) into the atmosphere a year and supply power to over 22 million Spaniards, almost half the country’s population.

Close to 50% of the new capacity installed in 2009 (714 MW) was installed in the US, taking the total there to 3,591 MW, 25% higher than just 12 months ago. The company is basing a significant part of its growth on the US, due, among other factors to the favourable regulatory environment there. Installed capacity in the UK, another key market, rose 20% to 802 MW.

In Spain, the company has 5,276 MW of capacity. The company ended 2009 with 4,882 MW of wind capacity, a 356 MW increase in the year. It also has 342 MW of small-scale hydro capacity in Spain, 50 MW at the solar thermal plant in Puertollano, Ciudad Real, and 2 MW at its first forestry biomass power plant in Corduente, Guadalajara.

By Spanish region, Castille-La Mancha has the largest installed capacity at the company, with 1,981 MW, followed by Castille y León (1,167 MW), Galicia (627 MW), Andalusia (547 MW), Aragon (278 MW), La Rioja (248 MW), the Basque Country (153 MW), Murcia (146 MW), Valencia (56 MW), Navarre (44 MW), Cantabria (23 MW), Extremadura (5 MW) and Madrid (1 MW).

Iberdrola Renovables capacity in the rest of the world stood at 1,083 MW at the end of 2009. It had 275 MW in France, 219 MW in Greece, 161 MW in Poland, 92 MW in Portugal, 80 MW in Mexico, 63 MW in Germany, 66 MW in Italy, 78 MW in Hungary and 49 MW in Brazil.

www.iberdrola.es