Iberdrola begins construction of 22MW wind farm in Spain

Iberdrola is to invest € 22 million on commissioning this wind farm, which is scheduled to be connected to the grid by the end of 2012. Located in the municipality of Jumilla, the wind farm will be equipped with 11 Gamesa G97 model wind turbines (unit capacity 2 megawatts (MW)) and built by Iberdrola Ingeniería.

Iberdrola has commenced the construction of the Sierra de las Cabras wind farm in the town of Jumilla, Murcia. It will have a capacity of 22 megawatts (MW) and is scheduled to be commissioned by the end of this year.

Iberdrola plans to invest around €22 million on commissioning this new wind energy facility, via the company Energías Renovables de la Región de Murcia (Renewable Energies in the Murcia Region) (ERRM), in which it has a 100% holding.

The Sierra de las Cabras wind farm, which will be built by Iberdrola Ingeniería, with the participation of local companies and contractors, will be equipped with Gamesa technology: to be specific, 11 G97 model wind turbines, with a unit capacity of 2 MW each.

This facility will consolidate the company as the leader in the wind energy sector in terms of capacity in the Murcia Region, where it already has 140 MW distributed among six wind farms – Buey, Gavilanes, Ampliación de Gavilanes (Gavilanes Extension), Los Almendros I and II and Reventones-, all of which are located in the Altiplano (Plateau) county (Yecla and Jumilla).

Iberdrola is also the foremost renewable energy producer in this autonomous region, where its wind farms provide electricity to around 300,000 people, thereby avoiding the emission of some 375,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.

With renewable business operations in 23 countries, the Iberdrola Group is the world leader in this sector, both in terms of capacity and electricity production. It is also the leader in this type of energy in Spain, with 5,500 MW already operational.

€20 million on evacuation infrastructure

Iberdrola is building the electrical infrastructure needed to enable the evacuation of the energy produced by the five new wind farms scheduled to be installed in the Altiplano (Plateau) county of the Murcia region, including the Sierra de las Cabras wind farm, with a combined installed capacity of 350 MW.

To be specific, via its engineering and construction subsidiary, the company will be commissioning two new substations, the Peñarrubia Renovable (Renewable) and Sierra de las Cabras substations, as well as various high voltage power lines (132 kv), one of which is already complete. The investment on this project totals some €20 million.

As they will share this new energy evacuation infrastructure being built by Iberdrola, wind energy develops achieve the double goal of significantly reducing costs and minimising the environmental impact.

The company has around 850,000 customers in the Murcia Region, to which it provides electricity and natural gas. It also has a distribution network consisting of over 40 substations, 16,000 kilometres of overhead power lines, 4,500 kilometres of underground power lines and 10,000 transformation centres.

www.iberdrola.es