Argentina’s Aluar advancing 312MW wind park expansion

Argentine aluminum producer Aluar plans to install 52 wind turbines of 6MW each at its renewable energy park in Puerto Madryn, Chubut province.

The 312MW project will take the wind farm’s capacity to 558MW, a regulatory filing states.

Aluar is “advancing in the design and detailed engineering, as well as formal negotiations,” it adds.

Output will help power its energy-hungry 460,000t/y primary aluminum plant.

The addition, known as stage V, will follow the latest expansion, stage IV and involving 81MW, taking capacity to 246MW.  

According to an environmental impact study carried out by Terramoena, stage V will use Goldwind turbines and include a 35km power line and other supporting infrastructure.

“This new expansion responds to the need to have new alternatives of generating power in the region, that does not affect the environment and that displaces the use of non-renewable resources,” the study states.

A stage VI expansion is also mulled, involving 33 Goldwind turbines of 6MW each, ramping up capacity by 198MW.

The company has also filed documents for a 50MW solar park.

Aluar submitted a 49MW Santa Cruz province gas-fired project in recent thermoelectric supply auction TerCONF but was not awarded a contract. The auction is in limbo after federal officials, reportedly planning market changes, put signing on hold.