Wind Energy

Dominican Republic launches 33MW wind power project

Dominican Republic completes 33 MW wind farm. The twin wind farm plants of Los Cocos and Quilvio Cabrera in Pedernales province are situated in the southern part. EGE-Haina said a second phase of the wind energy project could add an additional 52 MW in 2012.

The $100 million wind power project built by public and private investors and Vestas’ wind turbines, began operating Tuesday in the western town of Juancho. The opening ceremony was attended by President Leonel Fernandez. The wind power plant has 14 Vestas wind turbines.

It was inaugurated on Tuesday the first wind farm in the Dominican Republic, which in its first phase will provide 33 megawatts of wind power in the country, with an investment of 100 million dollars. The opening ceremony was attended by President Leonel Fernandez, Haina Electricity Generating Company (EGE Haina) and the Energy Consortium Punta Cana-Macao (CEPM).

The Electricity Generating Company Haina (EGE Haina) launched the Wind Farm Los Cocos, which, together with Wind Farm Quilvio Cabrera, are the first to operate in the Dominican Republic. Both wind energy plants have an installed capacity of 33 megawatts of capacity and investment is 100 million dollars.

The opening ceremony was attended by President Leonel Fernandez, who pressed the button that symbolically marked the commissioning of the wind power project, in the presence of the President of EGE Haina, Edgar Pichardo, and general manager Tito Sanjurjo, as well as Celso Marranzini, executive vice president of the Dominican Corporation of State Electrical Companies (CDEEE), Enrique Ramirez, president of the National Energy Council (CNE), and Juan Bautista Gomez, Superintendent of Electricity (SIE), among others.

According to the information provided by EGE Haina, Los Cocos Wind Farm, built in the community of Juancho, Pedernales Province, will generate 25 megawatts from 14 wind turbines of the Danish firm Vestas, a technology leader. The wind turbines are V90, and feed the National Interconnected Electric System with totally clean energy, of wind blowing in the region.

"The existence of a regulatory framework, the support of the authorities and the vision and tenacity of investors, have made possible the installation of the first wind farms in the country, extending them to diversify the energy matrix of the Dominican Republic "said Tito Sanjurjo, general manager of EGE Haina.

Speaking of support received by the official sector, Felipe Vicini, as a shareholder of EGE Haina, gave recognition to the CNE, in the person of its president Enrique Ramirez, for his commitment to the conversion of the energy matrix Dominican and support for the project .

Edgar Pichardo, representing the Board of EGE Haina, announced the start of the work of phase two of the wind energy project. "Our company, its firm commitment to a sustainable energy future, will immediately initiate a second phase of wind power development in this same region with the best wind potential in the country. In 2012 we will expand our wind farm generation capacity from 25 to 77 megawatts of energy, "he said.

According to the information provided, the wind farm will represent a savings of 700,000 barrels of oil per year for the country and 1,700 fewer tons of CO2 into the environment. The structure has 19 wind turbines each 125 meters, higher than the building of the tower Acropolis.

By José Santamarta, www.evwind.com