Siemens Gamesa has signed a 150 MW order with Elawen Energy to supply turbines for one of Spain's largest wind farms.
Greek wind power
The energy company is to supply 30 SG 5.0-145 model turbines - one of the largest turbines in its portfolio - for a wind complex in Albacete, Spain.
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Once completed, the project could provide wind to as many as 110,000 households in the area, covering nearly the entire province.
The project allows Siemens to move further into the Spanish energy industry, with its turbines being perfectly suited for places with have medium wind speeds.
The wind complex is made up of three smaller farms with a capacity of roughly 50 MW each.
The turbines are expected to be commissioned in mid-2022.
Siemens claims the project's size will save 400,000 tonnes in CO2 emissions per year, the equivalent of 200,000 cars. In comparison, six million trees would need to be planted in order to offset these emissions under normal circumstances.
Siemens Gamesa Onshore Unit CEO Lars Bondo Krogsgaard, said: "The agreement reached with Elawan to build one of our largest wind farm clusters in Spain reflects our contribution and commitment to the growth of the wind energy sector in the country, where we are market leaders, with 53% of market share. This large project will also bolster activity at our various plants in Spain and for our Spanish suppliers."
Siemens currently operates 15GW of wind energy across Spain, representing roughly 53% of total installed capacity across the country. According to the latest data from the Spanish Wind Energy Association (AEE), the total capacity reached 27.5 GW in 2020.
This is the first time in history that renewable energy has taken up a majority market share in the country, with wind energy being a particularly high-value sector
The 30 nacelles will be assembled at Siemens Gamesa's plant in Ágreda, the gearboxes will be produced at the plants in Asteasu, Lerma and the city of Burgos, and the electrical components will be produced at the factories in Reinosa, San Fernando de Henares and Benisanó.
Siemens Gamesa has nine plants in Spain employing 1,200 people, and 4,500 employees in total in the country.
The new project is expected to boost the activity of the company's Spanish suppliers, which will be involved in the production of various components.
In 2020 alone, Gamesa's purchases from Spanish companies amounted to $1.253 million (€1.05 million) - a 4% increase when compared with 2019.
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The Spanish government has set itself strict climate goals, and enabling wind power to come to the forefront may be necessary for delivering on them.
By 2030, the country hopes to achieve 42% of final energy use being sourced from renewable options, compared with 20% in 2020, with the stake of renewable energy for electricity expected to operate a 74% share, and 100% by 2050.
Energy auctions are continuing to be held in order to help boost Spain's overall energy capacity, over half of which is expected to rely on renewable sources.
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