Enel, through its renewables subsidiary Enel Enel Green Power México (EGPM), has completed and connected to Mexico's power grid two new wind farm projects, the 129 MW Palo Alto installation and the 100 MW Vientos del Altiplano, both located in the state of Zacatecas.
Enel invested some $250 million in the Palo Alto project and $220 million in the Vientos del Altiplano, as part of its strategic plan. The wind farms have long term electricity electricity supply contracts in place, Enel said.
Palo Alto consists of 43 wind turbines of 3 MW each and can generate some 350 Gwh per year, equal to the energy consumption of 200,000 Mexican households.
Vientos del Altiplano consists of 50 wind turbines of 2 MW each, and can generate more than 280 Gwh per year.
“Renewables have a key role in the diversification of the energy mix of the country and contribute to a sustainable economic development”, commented EGPM's director general and head of renewables for central America, Paolo Romanacci.
The two new plants will help to reach clean energy power generation targets in Mexico, he added.
Enel is the biggest renewable player in Mexico in terms of installed capacity and number of projects in its portfolio, the company said.
Through EGPM, it controls 729 MW of capacity, of which 675 MW wind and 53 MW hydro.
Furthermore, Enel is to start construction of three new solar PV projects, accounting for total capacity of 1 GW. The Villanueva and Villanueva 3, in the state of Coahuila, have total installed capacity of 754 MW, while Don José in the state of Guanajuato will have total capacity of 238 MW.
In addition, the company is to start construction of the 93 MW Salitrillos wind farm in the state of Tamaulipas.