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Brazil's Proinfa renewables program has authorised construction on the 50 MW Rio do Fogo project, developed by Spanish utility Iberdrola in the state of Rio Grande do Norte. The EUR 45.2 million turnkey contract for the technology has gone to Wobben “uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç, the Brazilian affiliate of Germany's Enercon, which will supply and install the wind turbines, each rated at 800 kW. The contract also commits Wobben to plant operation and maintenance. The deal brings Wobben's portfolio with Spanish clients in Brazil to 200 MW. "The contract is signed and firm," says a spokesman for Iberdrola. The Spanish utility has also landed a 20 year power purchase agreement with its Brazilian counterpart, Eletrobrás, for the wind plant's output, sealed and guaranteed by the Proinfa program. Commissioning of the project is scheduled for the second half of 2006. Rio do Fogo marks Iberdrola's first wind permit in Latin America. Its main wind development focus in the region is Mexico, where it claims a project portfolio of 200 MW, all for the state of Oaxaca.