First turbines start turning!

On 4 September, 2011, an exciting milestone was reached by the Cerro de Hula project team when the first wind turbine commenced generating electricity in a history making moment for Honduras, receiving electricity through wind generation for the first time.

By the end of September the team expects to have 34 turbines generating and sending electricity to the Cerro de Hula Substation which in turn will send electricity to the grid during the project’s testing phase.  Energy generated from all 51 turbines will be sent to the grid by mid November with commercial operation expected on 1 January 2012. 

Cerro de Hula is the first wind plant in Honduras and the largest wind plant in the Central American region. The wind plant consists of 51 x 2 MW Gamesa G87 wind turbines and will supply the national utility company, Empresa Nacional de Energía Eléctrica under a 100 MW, 20-year power purchase agreement.

The facility is being constructed by the Gamesa Wind US LLC and Iberdrola Ingeniería y Construcción Mexico consortium. Commercial operation is scheduled for January 2012, with all aspects of the project being completed during the first quarter of 2012. Located 24 km south of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, in the municipalities of Santa Ana and San Buenaventura, the greater project area is spread over approximately 6,500 hectares.