Energy

Gamesa, Longyuan join hands to develop int'l wind projects

By Liu Yiyu (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-04-14 13:34

Gamesa Corp Tecnologica SA signed Memoranda of Understanding with three Chinese power companies - China Longyuan Power Group Corp Ltd, China Resources Power Holdings Co Ltd and China Datang Corp Renewable Power Co Ltd - which is likely to lead to supply contracts of 900 megawatts in wind turbine capacity in coming months. [Photo / Agencies]

BEIJING - Gamesa Corp Tecnologica SA, a top global wind turbine manufacturer, will join hands with China Longyuan Power Group Corp Ltd to co-develop international wind projects, primarily in the United States, Europe and Latin America.

Under the agreement - the first ever signed by Chinese and Spanish companies in the industry - Gamesa and Longyuan, the world's third-largest wind power operator by market share, will research suitable sites for the joint development of wind farms, including some that Gamesa already has in its wind farm project portfolio and new ventures in strategic countries.

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The Spanish company has a wind farm portfolio totaling more than 22,600 megawatts (mW) at varying stages of development in Europe, the Americas, and Asia, giving its Chinese partner access to overseas markets that otherwise might take longer to enter.

This year, Gamesa has invested in 300 mW of wind farms in the US, where it has two manufacturing plants.

"We will offer our know-how for finding potential wind farm sites and project management of joint ventures in the world's most promising wind markets," Gamesa Chairman and CEO Jorge Calvet said.

The company also signed an agreement with Longyuan to jointly develop 200 mW of wind farms in China by 2015.

Meanwhile, Gamesa signed Memoranda of Understanding with three Chinese power companies - Longyuan, China Resources Power Holdings Co Ltd and China Datang Corp Renewable Power Co Ltd - which is likely to lead to supply contracts of 900 mW in wind turbine capacity in coming months.

Gamesa believes that China's pace of growth in wind energy will continue and the company is making its strategy accordingly.

"The percentage of wind power in the energy portfolio will be increased," Calvet said, adding that Gamesa has heard more questions about the feasibility of wind farm development since the nuclear accident in Japan.

However, integrating wind power into the grid in China has been an issue keeping the green energy source from making a larger contribution.

Spain, Europe's top wind energy producer, got 16.4 percent of its electricity from wind power last year.

Last month, the Spanish grid operator Red Electrica de Espana SA signed a general cooperative agreement with State Grid Corp of China, under which State Grid will work closely with the Spanish company in developing grid-access technologies for renewable energies.

"In Spain, we have been using technology that can predict the amount of electricity generated by our wind farms four days in advance and inform the grid of the amount," Calvet said. "That way, the grid can mix different energy sources accordingly."

"This is the type of agreement that will be developed with our Chinese partners," he said.