SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Siemens Gamesa has begun installing a new generation of machines for onshore wind power in Brazil, Felipe Ferres, the company’s general director in the country told Reuters on Monday.
Brazil will be the first country in the world to operate Siemens Gamesa wind turbines with 6.2 megawatts (MW) of power and a 170-meter (558-ft) rotor, the largest available in the world, in onshore wind generation.
The model grabbed the attention from large wind power investors – since it optimizes wind farms by making them more powerful with fewer machines – and, in the future, could even be applied to “small” offshore developments, Ferres said.
The first machines, produced in Bahia state, are being installed in the Tucano wind complex, owned by AES Brasil.
Siemens Gamesa, which until a few years ago manufactured 3.5 MW wind turbines, has seen interest in the market for the new model and has already signed supply deals with Essentia and Engie Brasil, according to the executive.
(Reporting by Leticia Fucuchima; Editing by Chris Reese and Marguerita Choy)