Large wind project to double renewable energy capacity in Brazil

Statkraft is ready to start construction of its Ventos de Santa Eugenia wind project in northeaster Brazil, after closing a turbine supply contract with German wind turbine manufacturer Nordex. Statkraft’s largest wind project in South America will more than double its renewable energy capacity in Brazil.

The 519 MW wind project entails 10 wind farms with a total of 91 turbines in the state of Bahia, located close to Statkraft’s existing Bahia wind power assets. Given the excellent wind conditions in the area, the project will generate almost 2.3 TWh of renewable energy per year, enough to supply 1.17 million Brazilian homes.

The projects are being implemented in accordance with Brazil’s strict environmental and social permitting and monitoring systems. The projects have limited land acquisition, no resettlement, low environmental impacts and no impacts on red-listed species. In addition, Statkraft will carry out Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities for nearby communities, focused on education and infrastructure improvements.

The total investment cost is estimated to BRL 2.5 billion (NOK 4.2 billion), and completion is scheduled by June 2023. Construction will start in January 2021, and the first wind turbines are expected to start operation in September 2022. The project will utilise the Nordex 163/5.7MW wind turbine, the largest onshore wind turbines used by Statkraft to date. With a diameter of 163 meters, the rotors will cover an area equal to almost 3 standard football pitches.

“As Brazil is probably one of the most competitive countries in the world when it comes to renewables, I’m very pleased to see that Statkraft is able to produce a competitive and profitable project like this,” says Country Manager Brazil, Fernando de Lapuerta, adding that a substantial part of the electricity to be produced is already hedged through public auctions and commercial power sales agreements in the Brazilian open power market.

In 2019, Statkraft Brazil acquired a 660 MW wind project from a local developer. Helped by the technological evolution of wind turbines and incorporation of new areas, the local Statkraft team has redesigned the initial project allowing it to expand by approximately 450 MW to 1.1 GW. Today’s announcement covers the first 519 MW of this development.

“The construction of Ventos de Santa Eugenia represents a significant step on the way to reaching the goal of developing 6 GW of wind power globally by 2025 and fulfil our ambition to become a leading renewable energy company in the world,” says EVP International Power in Statkraft, Jürgen Tzschoppe.

Facts about Ventos de Santa Eugenia wind project

Number of turbines: 91
Installed capacity: 518.7 MW
Turbine manufacturer: Nordex
Turbine type: N163/5.7
Capacity factor: 52%
Annual generation: 2.3 TWh
Location: Near Uibaí in the state of Bahia, north-eastern Brazil
Investment cost: BRL 2.5bn (NOK 4.2bn)
Construction start: January 2021
Expected completion: June 2023