Costa Rica: Gamesa and Iberdrola Ingeniería to build four wind farms with total capacity of 80 MW

Gamesa and Iberdrola Ingeniería have signed EPC contracts with subsidiaries of Globeleq Mesoamerica Energy (GME) to build 80 MW in Costa Rica.

The two companies will handle all the construction and commissioning phases required for this project, named Alisios, which comprises four 20-MW wind farms: Vientos de la Perla and Vientos de Miramar, located in the Liberia region, and Altamira and Campos Azules, to be developed in the Tilarán region.

Specifically, Gamesa will manufacture 19 of its G90-2.0 MW turbines and 21 of its G87-2.0 MW turbines for delivery during the second quarter of 2016, while Iberdrola will handle the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) side of this renewable facility, which is due for commissioning towards the end of next year.

Alisios is set to have a very significant impact on its surroundings as it will be able to cater to demand for electricity from some 60,000 Costa Rican households and create around 400 jobs during the construction process. In addition, Alisios will prevent the emission of around 172,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.

The GME group, owner of the facility through its subsidiaries, is a leading wind power company in Central America, having established a presence in Costa Rica, Honduras and Nicaragua; it boasts an extensive track record developing, building and operating wind power projects across the region.

Gamesa in Central America

This new contract represents Gamesa's fourth opportunity for working with GME, having supplied the turbines for the Cerro de Hula wind farm in Honduras (126 MW), the largest wind facility in Central America, the Eolo wind farm in Nicaragua (44 MW) and the Orosí (50 MW) wind farm in Costa Rica.

The company has also installed 12.75 MW of its turbines at the Los Santos wind farm, also in Costa Rica, making it the leader in this market where it has sold a total of 143 MW. Gamesa boasts a solid presence across the Caribbean and Central America, where it has installed over 350 MW, having developed wind farms in Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Puerto Rico; it also performs operations and maintenance services regionwide.