Banco Nacional de Desarrollo Económico y Social (BNDES) says turbine manufacturer Gamesa meets Brazil's local content requirements, which, among other things, mandates that at least three wind turbine components be made in the country.
The new regulation, compliance with which is a prerequisite for qualifying for the BNDES' financing lines, tightens the local content registration and accreditation stipulations for wind turbines made in Brazil, requiring gradually higher percentages of local equipment parts between now and 2016.
Until now, the BNDES' criteria had been strictly financial: 60% of the total investment had to materialize in Brazil, notes Gamesa. However, since January 2013, turbine makers have to meet the staggered manufacturing phases established by the bank, which will be stepped up every six months until 2016.
Initial certification requires the local production of three of the following wind turbine parts: tower, blade, hub and nacelle.
The BNDES has already certified that Gamesa meets these new requirements: The company has had a nacelle and hub assembly plant in Camacari (Bahia state) since 2011, and it is working with local suppliers on the manufacture of its towers (Torrebras, Engebasa and ICEC/SCS) and blades (Tecsis).
Since 2011, Gamesa says it has inked contracts for more than 900 MW of capacity in the country's top three wind-rich regions: Ceara, Bahia and Rio Grande do Sul. At year-end 2012, Gamesa had already installed 96 MW of capacity in Brazil.
