Alstom wins $1.35bn deal to supply 440 wind turbines to Renova

France-based power generation company Alstom Renewable Power has won a $1.35bn deal with Brazilian renewable energy firm Renova Energia for the supply, operation and maintainance of 440 onshore wind turbines.

Capacity of the turbines will range between 2.7MW and 3MW each.

Delivery of the turbines will begin by 2015 and will be completed in three to four years.

These turbines, which will represent a minimum total of 1.2GW of wind power generation capacity, will be installed at Renova’s wind farms in Bahia, a northeastern state in Brazil.

Alstom will supply its ECO 100 3 MW onshore wind turbines, which have rotor diameter from 100m to 122m and offer high yield and efficiency across all wind classes.

According to Alstom, a combination of two to three models of the range such as ECO 100, 110 or 122 in one wind park will help in not only optimising the capacity but also in reducing the cost of the project.

The turbines will be manufactured at Alstom’s facilily in Camaçari, Bahia.

Currently, the facility has manufacturing capacity of 300MW a year, with one work shift; however, following the agreement with Renova Energia, this capacity will double a year, with two work shifts.

Renova Energia CEO Mathias Becker said the company selected Alstom for presenting the best combination of price and technical performance, allowing for greater competitiveness in its projects.

"This will allow for increased efficiency of our plants, as we will have a more adequate technology to our winds, and reduced investments, which are key for us to maintain our leadership position in the increasingly competitive wind market," Becker added.

Earlier, Renova agreed to purchase 230 turbines from GE for its wind farms, but with this latest deal, Alstom has ousted GE as Renova’s core supplier.

Renova expects to benefit from the surging demand for wind power in Brazil – it hopes to enter into contracts to sell power from 122MW wind facility to large factories by June 2013.

Power generation from wind parks in Brazil is expected to increase from 732MW in 2012 to 2GW in 2012 and these facilities are expected to account to about 1.5% of the installed capacity.

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Image: Alstom will install the turbines, which will represent a minimum total of 1.2GW of wind power generation capacity, at Renova’s wind farms in Bahia, Brazil. Photo: Alstom.