Alstom opens a new wind turbine plant in Brazil, its first wind facility in Latin America

Alstom opens on 30 November in Brazil its first wind turbine plant in the South American continent. The plant, located in the industrial complex of Camaçari, State of Bahia, will have an output capacity of 300 MW per year.

With a total area of 50,000 m2 and a built-up area of 10,000 m2, the new plant represents an initial investment of R$ 50 million (about 20 million euros). It will generate, at first, 150 direct and 500 indirect jobs, representing an important contribution to the regional economy.

The setting-up of this new facility is part of the companys global strategy of reinforcing the presence of renewable solutions in the energy mix and investing in developing countries. Alstom already holds the leadership in the hydro power plant market, where it accounts for around 25% of the worlds generation capacity and close to 40% of the Brazilian market.

The company is steadily developing its wind technologies, offering and industrial footprint. It has already installed or is installing over 2,200 turbines in over 120 wind plants globally, equivalent to a total capacity of over 3,000 MW. This operation in the wind sector consolidates the companys positioning in delivering solutions that reduce the emissions of CO2 into the atmosphere.

This new plant, which has been built according to the LEED certification(*) which defines and certifies a sustainable building, will be in charge of the assembly of the ECO 86 turbines, adapted for the medium to high wind conditions and for the complex coastal geography of the region. The plant will also manufacture the ECO 100 turbines, which has already over 350 MW installed or under construction around the world and over 200,000 accumulated hours of operation since 2008. 

Today, Alstom reinforces its strategy of investing in renewable power and proves great interest in expanding markets, such as Brazil. This is just the beginning of a path we want to follow in the wind industry in Brazil and over Latin America, said Patrick Kron, Chairman and CEO of Alstom, at the inauguration. The ceremony was attended by top Brasilian officials such as Jaques Wagner, Governor of the State of Bahia, and around 150 participants including customers, business partners and authorities.

Brazil is one of the fastest growing markets for wind power, according to Marcos Costa, Vice President  Renewable Power and Thermal Power for Alstom Latin America. One of the greatest potential is in the Northeastern region, and Bahia is one of the most promising states. The industrial complex of Camaçari is well-located in terms of logistics, especially for exportation and the offer of specialized labor found in the region, says Costa. An estimated one third of the Camaçari plant production will serve other markets in Latin America.

Alstom, present in Brazil for over 55 years, has supplied around one third of the countrys power generation equipment. We already have an important power generation base through hydro and thermal plants. Now we take another important step in the consolidation of our market, with the implementation of this unit for the wind segment. We will have the opportunity to invest, add new tax revenue and generate more jobs for Bahia, adds Marcos Costa.

Before the start of its manufacturing operations in Brazil, Alstom already won two critical contracts for wind farms. In July 2010, Alstom signed a contract worth 100 million with the renewable power generation company Desenvix, a subsidiary of the Engevix group, for the construction of a 90 MW wind complex, also in the state of Bahia. The Brotas Complex will be composed of three wind farms to be equipped with  57 Alstom ECO 86 wind turbines of 1.67 MW each.

In 2011, the company signed a contract with Brasventos S.A, worth approximately 200 million, for the construction and maintenance of three wind farms, which will be installed in the state of Rio Grande do Norte. The complex will have a total production capacity of 580,000 MWh a year, enough power to supply over 100,000 houses and save over 300,000 tons of CO2 every year. The scope of the order includes the supply, installation and commissioning and long-term servicing of the ECO 86 wind turbines. The farms will be supplied with Alstoms SCADA system, allowing for local and remote access to turbine data, optimizing operation and maintenance.

(*)The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) was established by the USGBC (United States Green Building Council) and involves a rating system to define and certify a sustainable building. It confirms that the construction will follow the environmental benefit concepts, which are: SS (Sustainable Site), WE (Water Efficiency), EA (Energy and Atmosphere), MR (Materials and Resources), IEQ (Indoor Environmental Quality) and ID (Innovation in Design).

About Alstom
Alstom is a global leader in rail transport and power generation and transmission infrastructure, and is at the forefront of innovative technologies that respect the environment. Alstom builds the fastest train and the automated metros with greatest capacity in the world, supplies integrated turnkey plants and associated services to a wide range of power sources, including hydro, nuclear, gas, coal and wind, and offers several solutions for power transmission, focused on smart grids. The Group employs 92,700 people in over 100 countries and registered sales of 20.9 billion in 2010/11

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