Lagoa dos Ventos wind farm begins operations in Brazil

The 716 MW Lagoa dos Ventos, which is now fully up and running, is comprised of 230 wind turbines and will be able to generate over 3.3 TWh/yr while avoiding the emission of over 1.9 million t of CO₂ into the atmosphere. Out of the wind farm’s total installed capacity, 510 MW were awarded to Enel Green Power in Brazil’s A-6 public tender in December 2017 and is supported by 20 year power supply contracts with a pool of distribution companies operating in the country’s regulated market, while the output from the remaining 206 MW will be delivered to the free market for sale to retail customers, leveraging Enel’s integrated presence in the country.

In December 2020, Enel announced the start of construction of the new 396 MW Lagoa dos Ventos III wind project. With the new wind farm, which will require an investment of approximately €360 million, the total capacity of Lagoa dos Ventos will reach around 1.1 GW. The entire wind complex will have 302 wind turbines and will be able to generate around 5 TWh/yr, avoiding the emission of over 2.8 million tpy of CO₂ into the atmosphere.

Given the large scale of the project, EGPB designed an innovative plant layout based on a high resolution wind resource assessment to optimise Lagoa dos Ventos’s energy output. In addition, the company used a variety of innovative tools and methods to build the project, such as proximity sensors on machinery to boost site safety, drones for topographic survey, smart tracking of wind turbine components, advanced digital platforms and software solutions to monitor and remotely support site activities and plant commissioning, as well as a specific tool for wind turbine generator erection schedule optimisation. These processes and tools enabled swifter, more accurate and reliable data collection, improving the quality of construction and facilitating communication between onsite and offsite teams. The company also implemented initiatives in line with EGP’s ‘Sustainable Construction Site’ model, such as water saving and recycling as well as lighting efficiency measures.

During the construction of the 716 MW Lagoa dos Ventos facility, rigorous safety protocols were implemented, in light of the pandemic and in line with the indications provided by health authorities, with the aim to ensure the necessary protection to the workers involved in the construction as well as to the communities where the park is installed. The same protocols are also being implemented in the construction of the new Lagoa dos Ventos III wind facility. The company has established strict guidelines for travel, which include preventive quarantine when workers move to cities outside the construction site region, increased sanitisation of facilities, vehicles and environments on construction sites, as well as measures to ensure safe work practices. On the construction sites, the routine of the teams and operations were structured to maintain social distancing. Enel Green Power has also been carrying out massive testing campaigns involving all employees working on the construction sites.

In Brazil, the Enel Group, through its subsidiaries EGPB and Enel Brasil, has a total renewable installed capacity of over 3.7 GW, of which 1498 MW are wind, 979 MW solar and 1269 MW hydroelectric.

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