Martes 26 de mayo de 2015
The provincial government signed an agreement with Ingeconser Ltd. for the development, construction and operation of a High Power Wind Farm (25 MW) in the city of Rufino, Santa Fe, the first in the provincial territory. The project will require an estimated investment of 50 million dollars."It will be a very significant work for the province of Santa Fe, not only because it will enable us to diversify our energy matrix and reduce dependence on petroleum-based fuels but also, primarily, because we will be preserving the environment", said Governor Antonio Bonfatti, who was accompanied by the Secretary of State for Energy, Jorge Álvarez; and the Undersecretary of Renewable Energies, Damián Bleger; the Secretary of Production of the Municipality of Rufino, Juan Manuel Ferrero; and Ana Maria Menghini, on behalf of the City Council.
Gabriel Aimar, Vice President and legal representative of Ingeconser Ltd Argentine subsidiary, acted on behalf of the company.
Ingeconser Ltd. is a group of Spanish capital which has a branch in Santa Fe, and has a background in real estate projects and renewable energy in Spain, Brazil and Argentina. Currently, it carries out a 200 MW wind power generation project in Panama.
This initiative adds to other projects of renewable energy generation that the provincial government runs in the territory of Santa Fe. For instance, in April last year, the Governor signed the contract for the construction and commissioning of the first photovoltaic plant in the province in the city of San Lorenzo. That project, in charge of the province, has a budget of 32 million pesos and will be developed by the firm Valtellina Sudamericana Ltd.
THE ORIGIN OF THE PROJECT
In 2011, in coordination with the National University of Rosario, the provincial government installed cutting-edge equipment to measure winds in the South of the province, task that has continued so far. In mid-2013, it was presented the campaign information for measuring the wind resource, which showed excellent results in terms of wind speed in the area of Rufino, not only for the intensity but also for the persistence during the day, indispensable requirement for the development of such projects.
On this basis the Government of Santa Fe has summoned specialists in the country, led by Héctor Mattio (former director of the Regional Center of Wind Energy) and co-author of the national wind map, for the elaboration of a project, which corroborated the technical capacity and the economic viability of the initiative.
ENVIRONMENTAL GOALS
The provincial government promotes the generation of renewable energy in order to make it represent 8 per cent of the consumption of electric energy, in line with the target set in the national law 29.190 for 2016.
Energy diversification is at the base of the project of the wind farm, at the same time that ensures a reduced reliance on fossil resources. As an example, the city of Rufino, with 19 thousand inhabitants, demands 7 MW. The future plant will provide 25 MW.
It is also added the possibility to meet energy demand and minimizing costs in the long term and with environmentally-friendly energy development.
