The Dutch Caribbean territory of Aruba is set to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels for electricity production when a project to construct the island’s first utility-scale wind farm is completed in 2010, with 30 MW of installed wind power capacity.
Wind power project developer NuCapital, Inc announced on Dec 19th the closing of financing for the US$75 million Windpark Vader Piet project, which is being developed in cooperation with wind turbine manufacturer Vestas Benelux BV of Denmark and Bright Capital Partners BV of The Netherlands.
Vestas V90-3.0 MW turbines.
Image courtesy Vestas Wind Systems A/S
(click image to zoom)
TURBINES 10 x V90-3.0 MW
30 MW total installed capacity
Equipment supplier Vestas announced on Dec 24th receipt of an order for delivery of 10 units of their V90-3.0MW turbine to the project. The equipment contract includes supply, installation and commissioning of the turbines, as well as the supply of the necessary cranes and trailers due to limited availability of heavy transport and lift facilities on the island, according to the Vestas press release. Delivery of the turbines is scheduled to commence in the third quarter of 2009.
Windpark Vader Piet will be managed by Willemstad-based NuCapital Curacao BV and the power produced by the wind farm will be purchased by Aruba’s power and water utility WEB Aruba NV, under the terms of a power purchase agreement that NuCapital CEO Henk Hutting calls a timely choice that “diversifies the island's generation sources through a fifteen-year fixed price contract, representing a true long-term hedge against oil price volatility."
WEB Aruba NV provides power to two customers – the oil refinery and to the country’s distribution company NV Elmar for transmission and distribution to its 38,000 electricity customers.
NuCapital’s press release advises that the wind farm is projected to be capable of supplying 18% of Aruba's average electricity needs.
Successful implementation of the project will put Aruba – with a population of just over 100,000 – on the Caribbean green electricity map, alongside its sister island Curaçao, which has successfully operated commercial-scale wind farms since 1993.
Environmental and social-economic impact assessment studies for the project were conducted in 2004 and the wind farm is scheduled to be commissioned in January 2010.
Sources: www.nucapital.com, www.vestas.com
Image of V90 3.0 MW turbines installed at Bockinharde, Germany courtesy of Vestas Wind Systems A/S
