Statkraft, a Norwegian renewable energy group, is all set to begin construction of its 519MW Ventos de Santa Eugenia wind project in northeastern Brazil in January 2021 with an investment of BRL 2.5 billion ($466 million).

The announcement follows the recent closing of a turbine supply contract with Nordex, a German wind turbine manufacturer.

The Norwegian renewable energy company said that Ventos de Santa Eugenia is its largest wind project in South America, besides more than doubling its renewable energy capacity in Brazil.

Fernando de Lapuerta – Statkraft Country Manager Brazil said: “As Brazil is probably one of the most competitive countries in the world when it comes to renewables, I’m very pleased to see that Statkraft is able to produce a competitive and profitable project like this.”

Located in the state of Bahia, the wind project will comprise 10 wind farms with a total of 91 turbines. The turbines installed will be Nordex 163/5.7MW turbines, which have a diameter of 163 meters.

Statkraft said that the rotors of the Nordex turbines will cover an area equal to nearly three standard football pitches.

Expected to enter into full operations in June 2023, the Ventos de Santa Eugenia wind project will generate nearly 2.3 TWh of power annually, which is just enough to meet the electricity requirements of 1.17 million Brazilian homes.

The first wind turbines of the Brazilian wind farm are expected to begin operations in September 2022.

Jürgen Tzschoppe – Statkraft International Power EVP said: “The construction of Ventos de Santa Eugenia represents a significant step on the way to reaching the goal of developing 6 GW of wind power globally by 2025 and fulfil our ambition to become a leading renewable energy company in the world.”

  Bahia, Brazil, Fernando de Lapuerta, Jürgen Tzschoppe, Nordex, Nordex 163/5.7MW turbines, Statkraft, Ventos de Santa Eugenia wind project