Acciona’s installed wind capacity was 6,270 MW at the end of 2010 with 4,591 MW installed in Spain and 1,679 MW installed internationally. A further 639 MW was under construction (35 MW in Spain and 604 MW internationally). The average load factor (operating capacity) of projects in operation remained at 27%, with increases in load factors in the domestic market offset by lower load factors internationally.
In the first five months of 2011, Acciona started building a 38 MW Golice wind park in Poland and commissioned the 45 MW Lamèque wind park in Canada. As of March 2011, 6,380 MW of wind capacity was installed (4,601 MW in Spain and 1,779 MW internationally) and 529 MW was under construction (25 MW in Spain and 505 MW internationally).
Spain accounted for 71% of installed capacity; the US, 8%; Mexico, 5%; Australia, 5%; Germany, 3%; Canada, 2%; and the rest of the world, 7%. The average load factor increased to 31.3% compared to the same time period last year.
Acciona’s 2010 – 2013 plan includes an objective to install 2,400 MW of new wind capacity. Growth of installed capacity and electricity generation were expected for 2011.
In Spain, prices for electricity generated from Acciona’s wind farms are 20% higher than March 2010, increasing from EUR 63.5 to EUR 82 per MWh. In 2011, wind projects were expected to come online in Mexico and the United States. By the end of 2011, Acciona expected to have installed 780 MW of new wind capacity.
The company has installed wind parks in 16 countries on the five continents: Poland, Spain, USA, Canada, Mexico Australia, Chile, India, South Korea, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Hungary, France and Morocco (in the last two countries, through facilities constructed by other companies). In 2009, Acciona constructed its first wind farm in Mexico and was awarded a contract to construct a further 306 MW in 2010.
Acciona is the market leader in Mexico, a priority market for the company. Acciona and Mitsubishi Corporation have signed a strategic alliance to develop and operate renewable energy projects and share innovation and training initiatives aimed at leading the development of sustainable solutions worldwide. Under the terms of the agreement, Mitsubishi Corporation and Acciona will combine their efforts to develop projects in renewable energies, a field in which Acciona can boast a world-beating position and a strategic global presence in wind power, concentrating on solar power, solar PV and bioenergy.
The above was originally published in 2010.
