Spanish group to build wind farm in Honduras

Aug 11, 2010 - EFE - Energy Central

Spanish firms Gamesa and Iberdrola Ingenieria y Construccion announced Monday they won a contract to build a 102 MW wind farm in Honduras.

Gamesa has a 76 percent stake in the venture, with the remainder in the hands of the engineering arm of energy giant Iberdrola. Once complete, the Cerro de Hula wind farm will be run by Mesoamerica Energy through subsidiary Energia Eolica de Honduras.

Mesoamerica has secured a 20-year contract to sell power to Honduras' Empresa Nacional de Energia Electrica.

Financing is being provided by the U.S. Export-Import Bank and the Central American Bank for Economic Integration.

The consortium expects construction to be completed in 18 months.

Besides installing 51 Gamesa G87-2 MW wind turbines, the Spanish companies will link the wind farm to the electric grid, build access roads and other infrastructure and provide maintenance during the first two years of operation.

Their successful bid for the Cerro de Hula projects represents a strategic advance in Latin America for both Gamesa and Iberdrola Ingenieria, the firms said.

Gamesa has already installed more than 200 MW in five Latin American countries, while Iberdrola Ingenieria is the leading builder of wind farms in Mexico.