GE Renewable Energy awarded first wind deal in Chile

GE’s 3 MW onshore wind turbine.

GE Renewable Energy announced its first wind energy project in Chile with Arroyo Energy Compañía de Energías Renovables Limitada.

GE will be supplying six 3.6 MW turbines with 137-meter rotors and a 110-meter tower. The machines will be installed at the El Maitén and El Nogal wind sites in the south of the country, representing a total of 21.8 MW. Chile has 1.7 GW of wind power capacity installed and 4.9 GW of renewable energy capacity overall. The government-led “Energia 2050” plan states that about 60% of the country’s demands should be met with renewable energy sources by 2035 and 70% by 2050.

“We’re excited to build on GE’s 90 years of presence in Chile and bring renewable energy into the mix,” said Vikas Anand, general manager for GE’s Onshore Wind Business in the Americas. “GE believes in Chile’s energy sector as a motor for development, and we are determined to use our state-of-the art wind technology to harness the vast wind potential in the country.”

The 3MW platform is ideally suited for low wind speeds and the constrained land environments where wind farms are developed in Chile, GE states. GE’s 3.6-137 turbine is capable of providing up to 28% more Annual Energy Production than a previous generation of turbines (compared to GE’s 2.75-120 model).

“This is a huge step for GE in the region,” said Julio Friedmann, CEO of GE in Chile. “Chile once more demonstrates its strategic value to the company and its long-term vision, setting an example to Latin America how the energy sector should be in the future.”