36 wind turbines coming to Progreso

Wind farms are being erected in Yucatán. Photo: Getty
Wind farms are being erected in Yucatán. Photo: Getty

An international partnership to build two wind farms begins soon on a windswept stretch of Progreso, reports China Daily.

Mexican energy developer Vive Energia and Chinese turbine manufacturer Envision Energy have joined forces to work on the green energy projects on the Yucatán Peninsula through their joint venture firm, Energia Renovable de la Peninsula.

The exact positioning of the first 36 turbines was unclear, but previous news reports have pointed to a plot of land south of the highway to Chicxulub. At 120 meters high, they will churn out 90 megawatts of energy, with most of it (85 MW) to be sold to the CFE and the remainder to the private sector.

The project is one of 16 wind farms and solar plants that 11 firms from five different countries will be building in different parts of Mexico after winning the rights at a federal government auction held in late March.

The CFE aims to boost electricity to the national grid through renewable energy sources.

Construction is expected to get underway in the second half of 2016 and be completed sometime next year, before the March 2018 deadline set by the government for starting operations.

Envision Energy, China’s third-largest producer of wind turbines and among the top 10 in the world, plans to bring the 36 turbines, each measuring 110 meters in diameter and capable of generating 2.5 MW of energy, over from China, while the steel towers they are mounted on will be made in Mexico.

Second farm to follow

Along with the wind farm in Progreso, the joint venture is set to begin building a second wind farm in 2016 in Dzilam de Bravo, a coastal town located just more than 80 kilometers east of Progreso.

This wind farm will have 70 MW of installed capacity via 28 2.5 MW wind turbines and supply energy to various companies on the peninsula.

The head of Viva Energia, Jose Antonio Aguilar, said the decision to build the plants in the Yucatan Peninsula was based on the growing demand for electricity in the region’s cities and tourist resorts.

In the past 12 years, the demand for energy in the peninsula has grown by about 7 percent, according to figures from the Ministry of Energy.

Sources: Sipse, China Daily

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