The Latin American Wind Association has revealed details of a new wind project in Mexico’s Oaxaca state. The proposed project, named the Mareña Renovables Wind Power Project, involves the financing of a wind farm constructed over two adjacent land areas (San Dioniosio del Mar (306 MW) and Santa Maria del Mar (90 MW)) located in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in the state of Oaxaca.
Fomento Económico Mexicano, S.A.B. de C.V. (FEMSA), Macquarie Asset Finance Limited (a subsidiary of Macquarie Capital Group Limited) and Macquarie Mexican Infrastructure Fund are developing the project, which will cost approximately 14 billion Mexican Pesos (including related VAT). The International Development Bank will finance up to 750 million Mexican pesos.
The part of the wind farm to be constructed on the San Dionisio del Mar land area will be constructed on the Cabo de Santa Teresa between the Laguna Superior and the Laguna inferior in the municipality of San Dionisio del Mar and entails the construction and operation of 102 wind turbines with a total installed capacity of 306 MW. A substation will be constructed in Santa Teresa, while a transmission line of 52 km will be built and be connected with La Ventosa substation. According to the project's Environmental Impact Analysis, this wind farm is expected to occupy a total area of 37.86 hectares.
The rest of the wind farm will be constructed on the Santa Maria del Mar land area located between the Laguna Interior and the Gulf of Tehuantepec where 30 wind turbines will be erected with a total installed capacity of 90 MW.
Wind-powered bread production
Elsewhere in Oaxaca, Bimbo, the multinational bakery products producer, will start receiving energy from Piedra Larga wind farm, currently under construction in the state, during the second half of next year. Bimbo has signed a contract with the Spanish firm Renovalia which owns the wind farm, to become off takers of the wind energy it produces along with the Clidra Group, the Papalote Museum, and Frialsa Refrigerators.
Grupo Bimbo said it was committed to entering into long-term off-take agreements for wind energy, because deals such as the one agreed with Renovalia fix prices over a period of 18 years. "The price we pay to Renovalia wind power is a bit lower than we paid to Mexico’s Federal Electricity Commission (CFE), the advantage is price stability, it rises only with inflation," said Bimbo.
Renovalia invested $200 million in the wind farm, which is equipped with 45 Gamesa G80 2 MW wind turbines with a combined generating capacity of 90 MW.
Oaxaca’s wind resource is recognised as one of the best in the world. According to the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation, for example, 3,800 MW could be developed in the short and medium term (2009-2014) alone, with a total potential of over 5,000 MW longer term.
According to data published by the Mexican Wind Energy Association for 2011, seven of the nine wind farms currently in operation in Mexico are in Oaxaca, totalling just under 400 MW. A further 13 are being constructed or in the pipeline. Baja California is another popular site for wind projects, with one operating wind farm and five in the pipeline.
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