Eolo inaugurates its wind farm in Nicaragua

MANAGUA, Nicaragua - May 22, 2013 - PRLog -- The rapid growth of Nicaragua’s renewable energy sector took another spin forward last week when British-funded company Globeleq inaugurated a 44-megawatt wind project in the Departement of Rivas.

The inauguration of the Eolo wind farm, whose 22 turbines will produce 7 percent of the country’s annual energy demand, makes wind energy the fastest growing source of renewable power in Nicaragua. With plans to install an additional 40 megawatts of wind power from the ALBA Wind farm in 2014, Nicaragua’s total wind-power production will reach 180 megawatts—almost one-third of the country’s total energy demand during peak hours.

By next year there will be nearly 100 wind turbines spinning alongside the Inter-American Highway in Rivas, transforming the so-called “city of mangos” into the “city of windmills” in less than five years.

“Our team is very proud to be a part of Nicaragua’s transition to a more renewable technology energy matrix,” said Jay Gallegos, Managing Director of Gamesa Eolica S.L., one of the firms involved in the new Eolo wind farm.

Nicaragua’s combined renewable energy sources—geothermal, wind and biomass—are now producing around 320 megawatts of clean energy during the windiest months of the dry season. During the rainy season, hydroelectric plants substitute the wind farms by providing an additional 100 megawatts of power. Nicaragua is now covering almost half its energy demand through renewable sources—up from 20 percent just a few years ago. If the massive Tumarín hydroelectric project gets completed on schedule, Nicaragua appears to be on track to meet its goal of producing 94 percent renewable energy by 2016.

This article was first published by The Nicaragua Dispatch.