Iberdrola España will repower its first four wind farms and increase production by 30%

• Repowering involves replacing a wind farm’s old turbines with more powerful and efficient models using the latest technology.
• The 49 MW and 18.5 MW farms in Galicia will go from 98 wind turbines to 16, while the 49.5 MW and 48 MW farms in La Mancha will go from the current 139 to 22.

Iberdrola España will repower four onshore wind farms in Galicia and Castilla La Mancha, which will reduce the number of wind turbines installed in both communities by 200 and increase the energy production of the facilities by an average of 30%. The machines used in the repowering will have a unit power that is up to six times that of the first wind turbines installed in Spain more than two decades ago.

Repowering involves replacing old turbines in a wind farm with more powerful and efficient models using the latest technology. This produces more energy and has less impact on the landscape, making a significant contribution to efficiency and sustainability in energy generation.

With this action, Iberdrola España’s wind farms in Galicia will have 82 fewer wind turbines. Located in Lugo, the 49 MW Muras wind farm, which was commissioned in 1998 and generates clean energy to supply a population equivalent of 41,000 homes per year, will go from having 74 wind turbines of 660 kW to 11 wind turbines of 4.3 MW. 

The 18.5 MW Serra da Panda wind farm, in operation since 2002 and located in A Coruña, will reduce the number of wind turbines by 19, from the current 24, 22 of which have a unit power of 660 kW and two of 2 MW, to five, with three of 4.3 MW and two of 2 MW. This wind farm generates enough green energy to cover the energy needs of 12,600 families. 

In Castilla La Mancha, the wind farms that will benefit from repowering are located in Albacete. Commissioned in 2001, the 49.5 MW Molar de Molinar, which supplies 29,500 households with clean energy, will have 11 4.5 MW wind turbines, 64 fewer than the current 75 660 kW turbines. 

For its part, the 48 MW Isabela wind farm will go from 64 750 kW wind turbines to 11 wind turbines: six 4.5 MW and five 4.2 MW. In total, 26,000 families will be able to consume emission-free energy thanks to this wind farm.

The projects are expected to generate an impact on the local economy through the use of local labour, and even more indirect opportunities during decommissioning and construction of the supply chain.

The initiative is part of the first call for grants under the Circular Repowering programme, awarded by the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge through the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE).

Commitment to wind power 

After two decades working with renewables, Iberdrola has more than 41,000 MW of green power installed. In onshore wind energy, the group continues to lead the sector with more than 20,000 MW of installed capacity worldwide. Its new Strategic Plan will allocate 25% of investment in renewables to increase its installed capacity in this technology by 3,100 MW.

In Spain, the company has almost 200 wind farm installations in 13 autonomous communities, with a total installed capacity of 6,550 MW, enough to supply thousands of homes, and a net production capacity of 7,405 GWh.