Earth, Wind and Power with Enel Green Power

For Enel Green Power, 2012 has been a year of great growth, especially in wind power and geothermal energy, that will pave the way for future development and offer opportunities in emerging countries.

2012 was a very important year for Enel Green Power, in which it strengthened its presence in the most promising developing markets while consolidating its presence in those more developed.

Wind power was the fastest growing technology with a 31.6 per cent increase to 3,924 MW* over 2012. This is an extremely important area for EGP, which not only plays a central role by putting into service new plants around the world but also researches new ways of improving the technology’s efficiency.

Over the last few months, EGP has put two new plants online in Mexico, Bii Nee Stipa II and Bii Nee Stipa III, and the Cutro and Pietragalla facilities in Italy, and has paved the way for solid growth in 2013. Through its subsidiary Enel Brasil Participacoes, it began construction of three wind farms in the Brazilian state of Bahia: Cristal, Primavera and Sao Judas, which have an total capacity of 90MW. Also in Latin America, EGP won a public tender for the construction of a 102MW wind farm in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, in the Mexican state of Oaxaca.

The geothermal sector, in which EGP is a global leader, has experienced a significant growth: this technology is central to a global development plan that engages EGP in Italy, North America, Turkey and Latin America. The growth of investments by 2016, foresees that 16 per cent of €6.1billion will be allocated for the development of geothermal technology.

Between Italy and the USA total installed capacity amounts to 775MW, while in Chile, where construction of the first 40MW plant is about to start, Enel was awarded in 2012 three concessions, bring the total to eight and confirming its leading position in the country. In Turkey, thanks to an agreement with the Turkish partner Uzun, EGP is the first foreign investor that operates in the field of geothermal exploration.

Of the other renewable energy sources, solar technology experienced the greatest relative growth, with a remarkable 128.4% increase bringing capacity to 86MW. EGP’s installed capacity also grew by 3.8 per cent in hydroelectricity after new plants put into service brought total capacity to 96 MW.