Vestas signs agreements with Iberwind for the first repowering project in Portugal and 225 MW service renewal
Vestas has signed a service renewal contract for 75 units of the V90-3.0 MW turbine representing a total capacity of 225 MW for the following wind power plants in Portugal: Candeeiros I, Candeeiros II and Pampilhosa.
These wind power plants, constructed in 2005-2006 were three of the first larger wind projects installed in the world with the V90-3.0 MW turbine, a platform built on proven technology ensuring reliability and yield for high wind sites.
The wind farms are owned by Iberwind, the wind energy player with the largest installed wind capacity in Portugal, i.e. 680 MW, supplying approx 3 per cent of the total electricity consumed in the country.
The service renewal contract includes the Active Output Management package ‘AOM 4000’ for a 7-year period. The AOM 4000 is a full-scope service contract, consisting of scheduled and unscheduled maintenance and consumables, which offers solid risk management for customers, who want an availability guarantee measured against an agreed threshold. This type of contract offers customers assured performance avoiding unforeseen operational costs of any kind.
The main driver behind Iberwind’s choice was Vestas’ technical and technological capabilities within the V90-3.0 MW platform, its service track record and overall past service performance in providing customers with the highest business case certainty and return on investment of their wind power plants.
Vestas has delivered 296 MW of Iberwind’s total wind portfolio; only Candeeiros and Pampilhosa Wind Farms amounting to 225 MW represent more than 32 per cent of Iberwind’s total installed wind capacity.
“We are very pleased to maintain our long and well-established partnership with Vestas. We have a strong confidence in the capabilities of Vestas’ service organisation as well as in the performance of the V90-3.0 MW turbine, a highly technological and reliable product,” states Rui Maia, Operation and Service Manager of Iberwind.
The wind power plants have an annual production of approx 595,455 MWh saving the environment from almost 228,059 tons of CO2 and they are able to meet the electricity needs of close to 455,000 Portuguese households on an annual basis.
Vestas to take on the first repowering project in Portugal
Vestas has also received from Iberwind an order for the Lagoa Funda Wind Power Plant, the very first repowering project in Portugal. The contract comprises a full engineering procurement construction (EPC) contract for six units of the V90-2.0 MW turbine, a fifteen-year service agreement and a VestasOnline® Business SCADA system as well a Condition Monitoring System solution.
For the first time, repowering is starting to happen in Portugal. Iberwind is taking down 18 old Mitsubishi machines and replacing them with Vestas wind turbines, increasing the capacity of the actual wind power plant by 20 per cent. This capacity increase is based on the new Portuguese legislation, which allows an increase in the installed capacity of all wind power plants in Portugal of up to 20 per cent.
Delivery of the wind turbines will start in May 2011, and the project is expected to be completed by August 2011.
”We are very proud of having Vestas as our partner and technology provider in the first repowering project in Portugal. We believe that this is an important step for the wind energy sector in our country and we are glad to support this development in cooperation with the wind energy industry leader,” says Nelson Quinta, Business Development Manager of Iberwind.
“We are very pleased to be involved in the very first repowering project in Portugal, which proves the continuous development of wind power in the country supported by Portuguese government’s latest legislation,” says Juan Araluce, President of Vestas Mediterranean. He concludes: “At Vestas, a close regular dialogue with our customers is a key driver for doing business. Both the signatures of the repowering project and the 225 MW service renewal contract confirm our excellent relationship and collaboration with Iberwind.”
Vestas capacity delivered with V90-3.0 MW and V90-2.0 MW turbines
V90-3.0MW: 2,170 units delivered around the world equivalent to 6,510 MW.
V90-2.0MW: 3,286 units delivered representing a total global capacity of almost 6,545 MW