Vestas receives 21 MW order for Costa Rica

Vestas has signed an order for seven V90-3.0 MW wind turbines for the Tilawind wind power plant in the province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Delivery of the turbines will start in the third quarter of 2014, and the wind power plant is expected to be commissioned in the fourth quarter of 2014.

The contract for the Tilawind wind power plant comprises delivery and commissioning of the turbines, a VestasOnline® Business SCADA system as well as a ten-year Active Management Output (AOM) 5000 service agreement.

AOM 5000 is an energy-based availability guarantee that ensures the turbines are operational when the wind is blowing. This service option includes the VestasOnline® surveillance system that remotely controls and monitors the turbines and supports preventive maintenance practices that minimise turbine downtime.

The order has been placed by Tilawind Corporation, a special purpose company owned by Costa Rican corporation New Tessela together with the developer Gruman Resources, both companies are dedicated to the development of renewable energy projects in Costa Rica and the region. Together with global companies, New Tessela and Gruman Resources develop and manage solar, wind and other renewable energy projects.

“When we started planning the Tilawind wind power plant, we looked at possibilities for the project to be sustainable, profitable and successful. All criteria were met by Vestas’ V90-3.0 MW as well as the service offer proposed,” states Carlos Graffigna, CEO of Tilawind, who continues “We look forward to the installation of such a strong and proven platform and to the completion of our first Costa Rican plant with Vestas turbines.”

Adrian Katzew Corenstein, VP Sales Region Mexico, Caribbean and Central America, comments: “We welcome Gruman Resources as a new customer for Vestas and we are confident they will achieve great return on their investment with the V90-3.0 MW turbines. In 2013, we delivered 144 MW of wind capacity to three different projects in Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America to help solidify our position in the area where we have installed more than 500 MW as of December 2013.”

The Tilawind wind power plant will have an estimated annual production of 89,000 MWh, which will save the environment from about 5,000 tons of CO₂ emissions on an annual basis and will provide enough electricity to cover the residential electricity consumption of almost 125,000 people in Costa Rica.