Iberdrola to build two new wind farms in Canary Islands

IBERDROLA is to build two new wind farms in the Canary Islands after receiving the go-ahead to commence development on two projects in Tenerife. The Las Aulagas (13.8 MW) and Chimiche II (18.4 MW) wind farms have been authorised for registration with pre-allocation status in the Specific Canary Islands Wind Power Quota Tax Scheme (450 MW).

The company will be sharing these projects with a local partner. The expected investment amounts to about €40 million and the time frame for commissioning the facilities is approximately 21 months from now.

The tax system for projects built in the Canary Islands under the auspices of the aforementioned wind power quota includes specific conditions to ensure the feasibility of commissioning these facilities.

IBERDROLA will therefore start to build its first wind farm in since December 2012, when it commissioned El Segredal in Asturias, a facility with an installed capacity of 36 MW provided by 18 Gamesa G80 model wind turbines.

IBERDROLA is the leading producer of wind power in the country and its aggregate wind power capacity in Spain is over 5,500 MW in various autonomous regions: Castile-La Mancha (1,804 MW), Castile and León (1,453 MW), Andalusia (857 MW), Galicia (627 MW), Aragon (305 MW), Murcia Region (161 MW), Basque Country (143 MW), Asturias (74 MW), Catalonia (50 MW) and Cantabria (32 MW).

It is important to note that the company has contributed to the development of the rural areas where it set up its wind farms, by promoting jobs for local employees and backing economic revival in towns that benefit from hosting a wind farm.

IBERDROLA has been a pioneer in developing wind power in Spain from the outset. The company has also contributed towards the creation of an important national industrial sector focusing on wind power, helping it to expand abroad by including it in the various projects it carries out elsewhere in the world.