The Ayamonte wind farm in Andalusia, the first that Capital Energy will allocate to the capacity obtained at renewable energy auctions

The company is finalising the start-up of the works for this project in Huelva, which will entail an investment of around €30 million 

• The wind farm, which will be built by the Spanish company CRC, will have an initial power of 27 megawatts (MW) and its six wind turbines, General Electric Cypress model, will supply clean energy to some 33,000 Andalusia homes and will prevent the emission of more than 32,000 tonnes of CO₂ into the atmosphere per year.
• Located in the municipality of Ayamonte, this renewable facility, the third wind farm that Capital Energy will build in Andalusia, will have a contribution to GDP over its useful life equivalent to around €700,000 per year and a tax contribution to local coffers (Ayamonte and Villablanca) equivalent to more than €400,000 per year
• Andalusia is a key pillar in Capital Energy’s 100%-renewable energy project: the company is promoting more than 1,600 MW of wind and solar energy in this region, the commissioning of which will involve an investment of around €1.1 billion

Huelva, 15 November 2021.- Capital Energy, a Spanish energy company founded in 2002 with the aim of becoming the first vertically-integrated 100%-renewable energy operator on the Iberian Peninsula, continues to strengthen the development of its clean energy project in Andalusia: it is already finalising the administrative procedures for start-up of the construction of its third wind farm in this autonomous community, Ayamonte.

Ayamonte will also become the first wind farm that Capital Energy will allocate to the capacity obtained at the renewable energy auctions called by Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge on 26 January and 19 October of this year: around 2,200 megawatts (MW), mainly wind.

Located in the province of Huelva, the Ayamonte wind farm will have an initial capacity of 27 MW and its six wind turbines, of the General Electric Cypress model, with a rotor diameter of 158 meters and a hub height of 121 meters, will be capable of supplying more than 80,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of clean energy per year, equivalent to the consumption of about 33,000 homes in the region.

It must be noted that the majority of these wind turbines will be produced in various factories with which GE works in Spain: for example, the rotor blades, which will be the largest manufactured in a single piece in a commercial project worldwide, will be made in Castellón by LM Wind Power, and the towers and other electrical and mechanical components will be made elsewhere. The arrival of the equipment is scheduled for July 2022.

Capital Energy and GE have also signed a post-sale agreement for the monitoring and preventive and corrective maintenance of these turbines for a period of 20 years.

Located in the municipality of the same name in Huelva, the development of this project will involve an investment of around €30 million and it will be built by CRC. This Spanish infrastructure company, founded in A Coruña in 1940, will carry out the engineering, supply, construction and commissioning of this new renewable energy facility, as well as its evacuation infrastructures.

The Ayamonte wind farm will result in the creation of over 100 direct jobs during the peak periods of its construction. In the operation and maintenance phase, it will also provide permanent jobs for four professionals from the area and it will also contribute to generating around ten indirect jobs.

In addition, this renewable facility, capable of preventing the emission of over 32,000 tons of CO₂ into the atmosphere per year, will have a contribution to GDP over its useful life equivalent to around €700,000 per year and a tax contribution to local coffers (Ayamonte and Villablanca) equivalent to more than €400,000 per year. The one-off payment for the tax on construction, installations and building works (ICIO), can be added to this recurring sum.

Andalusia, a key region for Capital Energy

Andalusia is essential to Capital Energy’s project for clean energy development. Not surprisingly, the company is promoting over 1,600 megawatts (MW), both wind (about 938 MW) and solar (about 734 MW), in this autonomous community, one of whose main strengths is the quality of its renewable resource, which is above the national average and which very few regions can match. The commissioning of this entire power would entail an overall investment of over €1.1 billion.

In total, Capital Energy is promoting the construction of 34 renewable projects, 22 wind and 12 photovoltaic, in six Andalusian provinces: Almeria, Cadiz, Granada, Huelva, Malaga and Seville. The provinces where most megawatts and facilities are located are Almeria (500.5 MW and nine projects) and Granada (394 MW and four projects). They are followed by Seville (307 MW and eight), Malaga (279 MW and seven), Cadiz (143 MW and four) and Huelva (48.5 MW and two).

The company is making progress on the work for its first wind farm in Andalusia: Loma de los Pinos, with an installed capacity of 39 MW and located in the municipality of Lebrija in the province of Seville. This renewable energy facility, which is expected to begin operating in the first half of 2022, already has a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA), and will be equipped with General Electric turbines.

Its seven wind turbines, which are now arriving at the site, will generate 103,000 megawatt hours (MWh) per year, enough to supply clean electricity to 40,000 Andalusian homes. Loma de los Pinos will also prevent the annual emission of more than 41,000 tonnes of CO₂ into the atmosphere.

In this context, and in line with Capital Energy's commitment to the socio-economic development of rural areas, the company has just launched its Territories Project by signing a collaboration agreement with the Lebrija Town Council. The agreement, which seeks to establish a long-term relationship, confirms the commitment to sustainability of both parties, which will analyse, over the coming months, different social and environmental actions that may be of interest for the town.

In addition, Capital Energy has awarded Elecnor the construction of its second wind farm in the community, El Barroso. Located in Jerez de la Frontera, in the province of Cadiz, the wind farm will have an initial power of 22.5 MW and its five wind turbines, General Electric Cypress model, will be capable of supplying close to 65,000 MWh per year of clean energy, equivalent to the consumption of around 27,000 homes in the region, and also preventing the annual emission of more than 25,000 tonnes of CO₂ into the atmosphere.

The construction of both wind farms will involve a combined investment of over €66 million, the creation of around 370 direct jobs during peak periods and a combined tax contribution of over €1 million. In the operation and maintenance phase, they are expected to provide permanent jobs for 13 professionals in the area and generate an annual economic impact (mainly Land Tax and Economic Activities Tax), as well as with lease agreements, in excess of €400,000.

It should also be noted that Capital Energy has signed a collaboration agreement with the Jerez Town Council to promote the hiring of local workers linked to the construction of this wind farm.

A portfolio of more than 35 GW on the Iberian Peninsula

In line with its commitment to a green and fair energy transition, Capital Energy currently has a portfolio of wind and solar projects in the Iberian Peninsula with around 35 gigawatts (GW) of capacity, of which more than 8.7 GW have already been awarded grid access permits.

Thanks to the launch of its retail arm in the final quarter of 2020, Capital Energy reached its strategic aim of being present on the entire renewable energy value chain: from development, where, given its 20-year history, the Company has a consolidated position, to construction, production, storage, operation and supply.

The aim of the Company, which has more than 390 employees distributed throughout 15 offices in Spain and Portugal, is to deliver to the end consumer the 100%-renewable energy that it is already producing at its facilities.