Aurora Wind Farm lifts first wind turbine, Chile

Today marks an important milestone for the Aurora Wind Farm in southern Chile with the successful lifting of the first of its 43 wind turbines. The project represents a total investment of US$210 million and is located approximately 15 km from Llanquihue in the Los Lagos region in southern Chile.

The project, which was developed by Mainstream and is owned by Aela Energia, will be made up of 43 of Senvion’s 3MW turbines.  The turbines are 180 metres high and consist of a 57 tonne nacelle and a rotor of 122 meters in diameter. Each tower is 119 meters in height and the blades are 61 meters in length. The blades are made of reinforced fibreglass, which allows for optimum energy production. As each blade weighs a total of 14 tonnes, it can take between 1 and 3 days to lift each turbine. This procedure can only be carried out in favourable climatic conditions.

Fabiano Fortes, Mainstream Renewable Power’s Construction Manager in Chile says, “Lifting the first turbine marks the beginning of a significant milestone for the wind farm. Given the dimensions and weight of each of the components that make up the wind turbines, transporting, unloading and assembling the turbines is a considerable challenge for us.”

When the project is fully operational it will have a maximum capacity of 129 MW and will supply clean energy to around 195,000 homes.