• The 34.6 MW Los Arcos wind farm, located between the municipalities of Almargen, Teba and Campillos, is due to generate over 100 GWh per year once fully operational, expected in the last quarter of 2019
• The construction of the new wind farm will involve an investment of 35.5 million euros 

Construction works of Los Arcos wind plant, in Malaga (Image source: Enel Green Power)

Endesa, through its renewables subsidiary Enel Green Power España (EGPE), has started construction on its 34.6 MW Los Arcos wind farm located in Malaga, between the municipalities of Almargen, Teba and Campillos. Los Arcos construction works will involve an investment of 35.5 million euros and are expected to be completed in the last quarter of 2019.

"Endesa’s renewable investments are boosting the energy transition in Spain,” said José Bogas, Endesa's CEO. “By year end, over 900 MW of new renewable plants are expected to be fully up and running across the country, following Endesa’s awarding in 2017 auctions, testament to the company's strong commitment to our common objectives on renewables, as shared with the Government.”

Once operational, the Los Arcos wind farm is due to generate over 100 GWh per year, avoiding the emission of approximately 69,000 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere each year. The facility will be equipped with ten wind turbines with a capacity of around 3.5 MW each.

EGPE currently manages 12 wind farms in Andalusia: five in the province of Cadiz (four in Tarifa and one in Vejer), another five in Malaga (two in Campillos, one between Campillos and Teba, one in Almargen and another in Sierra de Yeguas), one in Enix (Almería) and one in Padul (Granada).

The Los Arcos wind farm is part of the 540 MW of wind power awarded to EGPE in the renewable energy auctions organised by the Spanish government in May 2017: the other facilities will be located in Aragon, Castile-León, Castile-La Mancha and Galicia. Once operational, the new facilities will generate a total of around 1,750 GWh a year.                        

EGPE uses a range of innovative tools and techniques to build these wind farms, such as drones for topographic surveys, smart tracking of turbine components, advanced digital platforms and software solutions to remotely monitor and support the operations and commissioning of the facility. These tools and solutions allow the quick gathering of accurate and reliable data on construction activities, enhancing overall construction quality and facilitating communication between teams both on-site and off-site.

The construction of Los Arcos is based on Enel Green Power's "Sustainable Construction Site" model, including the installation of solar photovoltaic panels at each site to cover part of their energy requirements. Water-saving measures will also be implemented by installing water tanks and rainwater collection systems. After the completion of the construction works, both the photovoltaic panels and the water-saving equipment will be donated to the towns where the projects are located for public usage.

During the construction phase, jobs for over 100 people will be generated. Furthermore, to promote job creation among local people in the area, starting from September EGPE is planning to carry out training on operation and maintenance activities for wind and photovoltaic plants. EGPE will distribute information to residents around the area on those social actions to be carried out alongside construction works.

In the 2017 renewables auction framework, EGPE was also awarded 339 MW of solar production capacity at the government's third auction in July 2017 for Extremadura and Murcia. The construction of wind (540 MW) and solar (339 MW) facilities will involve an investment of over 800 million euros until 2020. This new solar and wind capacity for 879 MW will increase Endesa's current renewable energy capacity by 52.4%.

Endesa currently manages over 6,553 MW of renewable capacity in Spain, of which 4,710 MW come from large hydropower. The remaining approx. 1,843 MW are operated by Endesa’s renewable company Enel Green Power España and consist of 1,750 MW from wind, 79 MW from mini-hydro and 14 MW from other renewable energy sources.

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