Enel Green Power has completed and connected to the grid its new Valle de los Vientos wind farm, located in the II Region of Antofagasta in Chile.
The new plant is comprised of 45 wind turbines (2 MW each), for a total installed capacity of 90 MW. The operating plant, owned by Parque Eólico Valle de los Vientos S.A., a subsidiary of Enel Green Power Chile Ltda, will be able to generate up to more than 200 GWh per year, thereby avoiding the emission of more than 165 thousand tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere.
The construction of the wind farm, in line with the growth targets set by Enel Green Power’s 2013-2017 Business Plan, required a total investment of approximately 170 million US dollars. The investment has been partly covered through a loan that Enel Green Power, acting through Enel Green Power International BV, has agreed with the Danish Export Credit Agency (EKF) and Citi, the latter as sole lead arranger and agent. The loan, which totals 100 million euros, is also aimed at the Taltal wind farm, currently under construction in Chile.
The Valle de los Vientos project is associated to a 20-year agreement for the purchase of the electricity (PPA) produced by the plant and that will be delivered to the Transmission Network of Chile’s Northern Region (Sistema Interconectado del Norte Grande, SING) through the Calama substation.
In Chile, Enel Green Power recently connected the Talinay wind farm (90 MW) to the grid and is constructing Taltal, its biggest wind farm in Chile (99 MW), for an investment of approximately 190 million US dollars. The company has also begun construction on its first solar park in the Country (Diego de Almagro, 36 MW) and, in the geothermal sector, Enel Green Power is exploring various concessions that have the potential for generating more than 100 MW. These initiatives are expanding the range of renewable technologies that Enel Green Power is implementing in Chile, adding wind, solar and geothermal power to its long-standing tradition of hydro generation, thereby opening in the country what is currently a truly unique energy chain in Latin America.
Enel Green Power is the Enel Group company fully dedicated to the development and management of renewable energy sources at the international level, with operations in Europe and the Americas. The company generated more than 25 billion kWh in 2012 from water, sun, wind and the Earth’s heat - enough to meet the energy needs of approx. 10 million households and avoid the emission of over 18 million tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere. Enel Green Power is a world leader in the sector thanks to its well-balanced generation mix, providing generation volumes well over the sector average. The company has an installed capacity of approximately 8,700 MW from a mix of sources including wind, solar, hydroelectric, geothermal, and biomass. Currently, the company has approximately 740 plants operating in 16 countries in Europe and the Americas.
In Latin America, Enel Green Power currently runs renewable energy plants in Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, Chile and Brazil, with a total installed capacity of 1080 MW as of today. Specifically, in the wind sector the company has 24 MW of installed wind capacity in Costa Rica, 144 MW in Mexico and 189 MW in Chile, where the company is also constructing the 99 MW Taltal wind farm. Enel Green Power is also constructing 5 wind farms in Brazil for a total of 283 MW. In Chile, the company is also constructing its first solar park in the Country (Diego de Almagro, 36 MW). With its century-long experience in the field of geothermal energy, Enel Green Power is also developing new opportunities in this sector. Again in Chile, the company is exploring several concessions with a potential capacity exceeding 100 MW.
Additionally, in Latin America, operating through Endesa and its subsidiaries in five countries, the Enel Group is the largest private-sector operator, with approx. 16 GW of installed capacity and serving some 14 million customers.
Additionally, in Latin America, operating through Endesa and its subsidiaries in five countries, the Enel Group is the largest private-sector operator, with approx. 16 GW of installed capacity and serving some 14 million customers.