First in Brazil for Iberdrola

Under a 20 year contract to sell electricity to Brazil's Eletrobrás, Spanish utility Iberdrola has started construction of its first Brazilian wind power facility, a 49.3 MW project at Rio do Fogo in Brazil's north-eastern state of Rio Grande do Norte. Wobben “uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç, the Brazilian subsidiary of German wind turbine manufacturer Enercon, secured the BRL 200 million ($86.2 million) contract to supply, assemble, start, operate and maintain the wind turbines (“uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç, June 2005). The contract underlines Wobben's dominance of the Brazilian market for wind power equipment, where it has orders to supply 300 MW. The national renewables support program, Proinfa, requires that all renewable energy projects have 60% of their equipment domestically produced. Wobben is the only wind turbine maker fulfilling that requirement. A number of other wind turbine manufacturers are currently assessing their Brazilian options, however, including Siemens Wind Power, which last year acquired Denmark's Bonus Energy A/S. "We understand the growing need for power in the region of Brazil," says a Siemens spokesperson. "This makes Brazil an attractive country that will not be ruled out as an area of consideration for Siemens. We currently are assessing needs and options for supply/manufacturing facilities," he adds.