Mexico: Enel Green Power starts construction of new wind farm

Enel Green Power (EGP) has started construction of the new Palo Alto wind farm in the Mexican state of Jalisco.

"This new wind farm is an important step towards the consolidation of EGP’s presence in Mexico, a market that has huge potential for development. Once Palo Alto is completed, our portfolio in the country will reach an installed capacity of over 600 MW,” said EGP CEO Francesco Venturini. “In line with our growth strategy in Latin America, Mexico is, alongside Chile and Brazil, one of the countries in which we have decided to focus our investments for the next five years, with the aim of boosting sustainable energy while both diversifying the country’s energy mix and supporting the local economy."

The wind farm, which is located in Ojuelos, is owned by Energia Limpia de Palo Alto S. de R.L. de C.V., a subsidiary of Enel Green Power Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V. The facility will comprise  43 wind turbines of 3 MW each for a total installed capacity of 129 MW. Once fully operational, Palo Alto will be able to generate more than 350 GWh per year, equivalent to the annual energy consumption needs of about  200,000 Mexican households, while avoiding the annual emission of around 200,000 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere.

The wind farm, which is expected to be completed and enter into service in the second half of 2016, is supported by long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs).

EGP will be investing approximately 250 million US dollars, in line with the growth targets set out by the company’s current strategic plan. The investment will be funded through EGP Group resources.

In Mexico, EGP currently has a total installed capacity of around 500 MW, of which 53 MW from hydro and 446 MW from wind.

Enel Green Power is the Enel Group Company fully dedicated to the international development and management of renewable energy sources, with operations in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia. With a generation capacity that corresponds to approximately 32 billion kWh in 2014 from water, sun, wind and the Earth’s heat – enough to meet the energy needs of more than 11 million households – Enel Green Power is a world leader in the sector thanks to its well-balanced generation mix that provides generation volumes well over the sector average. The company has an installed capacity of more than 10,000 MW from a mix of sources including wind, solar, hydropower, geothermal and biomass. The company has about 740 plants operating in 17 countries.