Wind energy currently supplies more than 2.7 million homes in Argentina and this year will produce savings of US$ 3,250 million in foreign exchange for the country, assured the general manager of the Argentine Wind Chamber (CEA), Héctor Ruiz Moreno.
“Currently, Argentina has approximately 950 installed wind turbines that, from the kinetic energy of the wind, produce electricity,” Ruiz Moreno explained to Télam.
He stressed that these mills “generated 12,915.8 gigawatt hours (GWh) during 2021, that is, the equivalent of supplying more than 2,700,000 homes.”
“Our country has great potential thanks to its capacity factors, optimal topographic conditions and qualified technical personnel,” said the business leader.
Also, he noted that “the wind industry can compete with any thermal alternative”and pointed out that “Beyond the positive environmental impact that wind energy generates on the planet, there are also economic implications for the sector.”
“During 2021, the wind industry generated foreign exchange savings of US$800 million, and in 2022 it is estimated that it will generate savings for the country of US$3,250 million,” said Ruiz Moreno.
He explained that “although some issues still remain to be resolved, such as the lack of transport capacity, the existing problems in imports and access to financing, the wind industry plays a fundamental role in mitigating climate change, and it is essential to achieve a greater penetration of renewable energies in the world and in Argentina”.
The most important producers
One of the main players in the sector in the country is Vestaswhich owns 47 wind farms, with 523 turbines, in the provinces of Buenos Aires, Chubut, Córdoba, La Pampa, Neuquén and Santa Cruz.
For this company, Argentina is the second most important country behind Brazil, where it has 150 wind farms, and ahead of Mexico (41), Uruguay (34) and Chile (32).
The president of Vestas in Latin America, Eduardo Ricotta, pointed out that “on average, a house in the region consumes 167,482 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electrical energy monthly”and stressed that “the rotation of a wind turbine generates the electrical energy that a house consumes in one day”.
“This rotation takes an average of 8 seconds and is equivalent to 15 kWh,” said Ricotta, who stated that he feels “proud to promote the energy transformation in Latin America. Our wind turbines contribute to the production of green energy and, therefore, to comply with the environmental objectives of reducing the carbon footprint”.
Genneia, one of the most important companies in the sector in terms of generationhas a capacity of 784 MW of wind energy with its four Chubut wind farms located in Rawson, Trelew, Madryn and Chubut Norte (CHN), and another three in Villalonga, Pomona and Necochea, in the province of Buenos Aires.
In Chubut, it has its main generation pool made up of the Rawson (108MW), Trelew (51MW), Madryn (220MW), and CHN I (52 MW), II (26 MW), III (57 MW) and IV parks. (83 MW).
Within this node is the largest wind farm in Argentina, Madrynon a property of more than 6,000 hectares on Provincial Route 4, inaugurated in September 2019 and which has 62 wind turbines that produce 987,000 MWh of clean energy per year, equivalent to supplying 246,700 homes.
Going forward, the company recently announced an investment of US$ 150 million for the La Elbita Wind Farm, with 103.5 MW of installed power, which will be carried out in the Buenos Aires city of Tandil.
The project will have 24 wind turbines capable of producing energy to supply the equivalent of 100,000 homes and will prevent 315,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere.
“At Genneia, we believe that we must provide answers to the challenges presented by the current context in terms of climate change, being active agents of change, creating value for society, the well-being of people and caring for the planet. We have the wind in our favor and We will continue to look forward to continue supporting the energy transition and for Argentina to meet its decarbonization objectives,” its director of Corporate Affairs, Gustavo Castagnino, told Télam.
Another important player is Pampa Energíawhich owns three wind farms: Mario Cebreiro, which provides 100 MW of renewable energy to the national interconnected system, and Pampa Energía II and III, each with 53 MW, located in the towns of Bahía Blanca and Coronel Rosales, in the province of Buenos Aires, opened in 2019.
The company began the expansion of Parque Pampa Energía III which, once the works are completed, will contribute 134.2 MW of renewable energy to the national system.
Currently, the three wind farms have an installed capacity of 206 MW and with this expansion, they will reach 287 MW of wind power.
