Alstom wins $433m Brazilian order for supply of wind turbines

Alstom SA, a French power-equipment maker, has agreed to supply 127 wind turbines to Renova Energia SA (RNEW11) in Brazil in a contract worth about 320 million euros ($433 million).

Renova Energia will receive ECO 122, ECO 110 and ECO 100 wind turbines models for its 355.5-MW Umburanas complex in the northeastern state of Bahia, Alstom said in a statement. The turbines, to be made at Alstom’s plant in Bahia, are expected to be delivered between January 2017 and January 2018.

This order is part of an agreement the companies signed last year, involving the supply of more than 440 wind turbines, for a minimum installed capacity of 1.5 gigawatts, Levallois-Perret-based Alstom said. The agreement also includes more than 1 billion euros of operation and maintenance services.

In its €120m ($163.2m) contract with Brazilian power generator Tractebel Energia, Alstom has agreed to supply 36 2.7MW ECO 122 wind turbines to the Trairí II project. Located in Ceará State, northeast of Brazil, the commissioning of the 97.2MW project is scheduled for mid-2016. Alstom will be in charge of the operation and maintenance of the wind farm for ten years.

The new tower, produced in consortium with Freyssinet, will be made of 11 concrete sections. Alstom says it will use a "unique installation method based on proven hydraulic lifting techniques used in civil engineering" to facilitate the assembly of the nacelle and tower.

The nacelles of the wind turbines will be manufactured at Alstom's plant in Bahia. "The Trairí II project will be the first to use our new 119-metre towers that allow us to better harness wind resources regardless of wind characteristics," said Yves Rannou, senior vice president of Alstom Wind.

Alstom has a 13 percent share of the wind turbine market in Brazil, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Since 2010, Alstom has signed contracts to provide more than 2GW to wind projects in Brazil, including the supply of over 600 ECO 122 turbines.