IBERDROLA Begins Turbine Assembly of its Peñascal Wind Farm Complex (USA) to 606 MW

IBERDROLA has started installing the turbines at 202-megawatt (MW) Baffin wind farm in the state of Texas, with grid connection expected for the year end.

This renewable energy infrastructure will be equipped with 101 Gamesa G97 wind turbines with a unit capacity of 2 MW each. Gamesa is one of IBERDROLA's leading suppliers in the wind power business.

Some US$400 million have been earmarked for investment in Baffin, the third wind farm in the Peñascal complex after Peñascal I and Peñascal II (commissioned in 2009 and 2010, respectively), each of which have an installed capacity of 202 MW.

This new wind farm, which began construction in 2013, will bring capacity of Peñascal wind power complex up to 606 MW, making it IBERDROLA's largest renewable facility worldwide and a landmark in the U.S. wind power sector. 

The Peñascal complex is located in Kenedy county, in the south-east of Texas, in an areas with one of the best wind power resources in United States, and at a strategic point between the Mexican border and the city of Corpus Christi.

The complex, located in a rural area, has been contributing to local economic development and job creation for the past six years. Since work began in 2009 and by the time this extension is commissioned at the end of 2014, some 400 local construction jobs will have been created and an operation and maintenance team of more than 30 members will have been formed.

The wind farm complex, due to its considerable capacity, will also have long-term environmental benefits. Once Baffin has been commissioned, Peñascal will be able to supply clean energy to some 210,000 U.S. households and avoid the emission of around 850,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.

As the country’s second largest wind power producer, this extension confirms IBERDROLA's long-term commitment to the United States, where it has spearheaded development of renewable energies in recent years.

With clean energy facilities spanning 19 states, IBERDROLA's total wind power capacity in U.S. amounts to 5,443 MW. This figure will rise to 5,645 MW once Baffin is connected to the grid. The project is one of the largest international renewable energy ventures to be carried out by a Spanish firm.