Enel Green Power Mexico (EGPM) has begun the construction of the 100 MW Amistad II wind farm in the northern state of Coahuila, Mexico.
According to the company, Amistad II is the first project to start construction of those awarded in Mexico’s third long-term auction, which was held last November. The overall investment in the construction of the facility amounts to approximately $115 million.
Amistad II, located in Ciudad de Acuña, is scheduled to start operations in the first half of 2020. Once fully operational, the wind farm will be able to generate around 350 GWh annually, avoiding the emissions of around 190,000 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. The construction of Amistad II will be based on Enel’s “sustainable construction site” model, incorporating, for example, water-saving systems and recycling processes.
The Amistad II wind farm is supported by a contract with the Mexican Centre for Energy Control’s Cámara de Compensación of specified volumes of energy over a 15-year period and the related clean certificates over a 20-year period.
“The start of construction of the Amistad II wind farm is further proof of the long-term commitment and success of our operations in Mexico and an important milestone that strengthens our leadership in the renewable energy sector in the country,” says Antonio Cammisecra, head of Enel Green Power, Enel’s global renewable energy business line. “With this new plant, we are able to further fuel sustainable growth in Mexico’s high-potential energy market through Coahuila’s wealth of renewable resources.”
In the November tender, the company was also awarded the 100 MW Amistad III and 149 MW Amistad IV wind facilities, which will be built in Ciudad de Acuña along with Amistad and Amistad II. In Coahuila, EGP is also completing the 828 MW Villanueva solar plant, recently expanded from 754 MW, as well as the 200 MW Amistad wind farm.