New type of foundation installed for the first time

RWE is currently building the Rea Unificado wind farm in Spain with nine turbines, each with a rated output of 4.53 megawatts. After commissioning, Rea Unificado will be able to supply 30,000 Spanish households with climate-neutral electricity.

For the first time, RWE is now installing so-called Soft-Spot® foundations. Here, so-called reinforced concrete spread foundations are used, which are placed on an EPS layer - an insulating material made of expanded polystyrene. Instead of transferring the loads to the substrate, the EPS redistributes them to a donut-shaped surface. This increases stability. In addition, the diameter of the foundation slabs and thus the volume of the concrete used can be reduced.

“I would like to thank our development and construction teams for making this innovation in Rea possible. We have been able to significantly reduce our construction effort and material costs and save several tonnes of CO₂. Now we are entering the next, decisive construction phase and will successively erect all nine turbines,” explains Robert Navarro, President and CEO RWE Renewables Iberia.

“GES is delighted to support RWE in this new milestone. As an engineering and construction company, GES always applies the most suitable architectural and engineering solutions for the project. Therefore, GES' proposal to RWE for Rea Unificado wind farm was the implementation of a soft spot foundation model, which optimises the consumption of concrete and steel, making the project more cost-effective and environmentally more sustainable. GES is excited to be able to collaborate with RWE in future challenges like this one”, Alfonso Rey, Wind Project Construction Manager at GES, explains.