Honduran wind plant construction update

Construction of the 102MW Cerro de Hula wind project is moving quickly and remains on schedule.  The team has just celebrated the opening of its new offices at the heart of the project site, 900 metres along the road to San Buenaventura, Francisco Morazán. 

Turbine foundations have been poured and on 26 April, the first of two shipments of the tower sections and blades for the wind turbines arrived in Honduras.  The tower sections will be assembled to make a wind turbine of more than 85 metres in height. 

Cerro de Hula will be the first wind plant in Honduras and the largest wind plant in the Central American region.  The wind plant will consist of 51 x 2 MW Gamesa G87 wind turbines and will supply the national utility company, Empresa Nacional de Energía Eléctrica under a 100 MW, 20-year power purchase agreement.

The facility will be constructed by the Gamesa Wind US LLC and Iberdrola Ingeniería y Construcción Mexico consortium.  Commercial operation is anticipated in early 2012.  Located 24 km south of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, in the municipalities of Santa Ana and San Buenaventura, the greater project area is spread over approximately 6,500 hectares.