ACCIONA group facilities in Barasoain host the main events of global wind day in Spain

Various wind power installations of ACCIONA Group in Barasoain (Navarra) were the scene today of some of the main events of Global Wind Day 2019 organized by the Spanish Wind Energy Association (AEE). During the visit, the Mayoress of this locality received the Eolo 2019 Prize for the Rural Integration of Wind Power. Barasoain is home to a Nordex-ACCIONA Windpower wind turbine assembly plant as well as an experimental wind farm with 3-MW turbines and a wind energy storage plant based on batteries, both owned by ACCIONA.

The facilities were visited by a delegation of the AEE headed by its President, Rocio Sicre, and a representation of the Municipal Council of Barasoain led by Mayoress Rita Roldan, who was accompanied by other councillors and authorities.

In the visit to the experimental wind farm –accompanied by the Vice-President of the Government of Navarra, Manu Ayerdi- all the Pre-school and Primary pupils of the village's school were also present. They received explanations -adapted to their age- on how a wind farm works and then posed for a photograph with the authorities.

In an institutional ceremony held later in Barasoain, the municipality was awarded the Eolo 2019 prize for the Rural Integration of Wind Power. As well as the above-mentioned authorities, the ceremony was attended by the Director-General of Economic and Business Policy of the Government of Navarra, Izaskun Goñi; the General Manager of CENER, Pablo Ayesa; the Director of Enercluster, Manuel Rodriguez, and senior managers of ACCIONA, among them the General Manager of the Energy Production area Juan Otazu and Regulation Manager José López-Tafall.

Three reference installations in the wind energy sector

The wind turbine assembly plant in Barasoain, owned by Nordex-ACCIONA Windpower, was opened in 2003 and currently produces 3-MW machines. The company has more than 600 employees in Navarra, plus another 535 in a blade manufacturing facility in Lumbier.

The Experimental Barasoain Wind Farm, owned by ACCIONA and set up in 2013, consists of five 3-MW wind turbines of different heights, tower types and rotor diameters. It is used for the ongoing testing of wind turbine components and the testing of new ones with a view to the continuous improvement of the turbine models that are launched in the market.

The hybrid energy storage plant based on batteries, which entered service in 2017, was the first grid-connected facility of its type in Spain. The objective is to apply energy storage solutions that will enable a greater presence of renewable energy installations in the electric power system.

Navarra, a pioneering community in the development of wind power

Barasoain is located 26 kilometres south of Pamplona in the Central Zone of Navarra, where wind farms with a combined capacity of more than 300 MW are located. Overall, the region of Navarra now has around 1,000 MW of wind power capacity in service and a strong related industrial sector, with 84 companies and around 13,000 jobs. The National Renewable Energy Centre (CENER) is also located in the region.

Global Wind Day, promoted in Spain by the AEE, is a worldwide event held every year to disseminate the benefits of wind energy and the possibilities it offers for changing the world.