Gamesa firm's 120 MW order

Spanish turbine manufacturer MADE, a subsidiary of Gamesa, is to deliver 91 of its 1.32 MW turbines to two projects representing Tunisia's biggest wind power installation to date. Developed by the Tunisian Electricity and Gas Company, the projects are located at Metline and Kchabta in the northern Bizerte region. The contract includes the turnkey supply of the turbines, building substations and high-voltage grid connections and a two-year operation and maintenance contract. The civil and electrical works will be carried out by local firms and some equipment will also be produced locally. Gamesa estimates that 120 new jobs could be created in the project's first two years. Completion is scheduled for 2010 or 2011. Funding to the tune of almost EUR 200 million is provided by a concession loan from the Spanish development aid fund, Fondo Español de Ayuda al Desarrollo. MADE has so far supplied all of Tunisia's 54.4 MW of grid-connected turbines. These are concentrated at Sidi Daoud, where a 35 MW extension is due for commissioning before the end of the year.