MADRID - Acciona Windpower (AWP), a subsidiary of the Acciona Group that designs, manufactures and markets wind turbines, said it plans to install 805.5 MW in North America in 2015. Some 94 percent of this capacity will be with 3 MW wind turbines. All these facilities are owned by third-party customers.

The company made the announcement at Windpower 2015 in Orlando, Florida, which is organized by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).

By the end of this year, the Green Pastures I and II wind farms (300 MW) and the Cameron Wind Farm (165 MW), will be grid connected. These projects are located in Texas and the first phase of the Green Pastures Wind Farm is already operational.

In Canada, the South Canoe wind farm in Nova Scotia (102 MW) is now being prepared for service. It will be fully operational in June.

In Mexico, the Ventika I (126 MW) wind farm and about half of Ventika II (63 MW of the 126 MW that make up the facility) will enter service in the second half of the year, both of them in the state of Nuevo León, together with Ingenio (49.5 MW) in Oaxaca.

This capacity represents 59.5 percent of the total that AWP will put into service worldwide in 2015 (1,353 MW). Brazil, another major market for AWP, accounts for 21.5 percent; South Africa - 10.2 percent; Turkey - 4.3 percent; Poland - 4 percent; and other countries - 0.5 percent.

By the end of 2015 there will be 2,346 MW of Acciona Windpower turbines in operation in North America (3 MW and 1.5 MW), representing 41 percent of the capacity installed by the company worldwide.

Of this figure, 1,372.5 MW will be installed in the United States, 796.5 MW in Mexico and 177 MW in Canada.

The large increase in sales and installations of the AW3000 wind turbine is a result of excellent performance and track record combined with an improved cost of energy (COE). In 2013 and 2014, Acciona Windpower achieved a 28 percent reduction in COE from our wind turbines, which strengthens our competitive positioning and provides more value to our customers. The process will continue over the next few years, in which a further reduction of 16 percent is expected.

The AW3000 is available in a range of rotor diameters (100 to 132 meters) and can be mounted on either steel or concrete towers from 84 to 137.5 meters high. These options make it possible to optimize the performance of the AW3000 for all wind conditions, in order to meet the needs of any project globally. With the success of the AW116/3000 and AW125/3000, Acciona Windpower is positioned to be a top five supplier in North America in 2015.

Source: Acciona Windpowere
Associated URL: acciona-energia.com