In September, the company secured a contract from Parque Eólico Arauco SAPEM (majority-owned by the Argentine state) for the installation of 28 of the firm’s G132-3.465 MW turbines for phases III and IV of the Arauco wind complex, located in the province of La Rioja, in western Argentina.

This is the first South American order for this turbine, evidencing the credibility being garnered by this model in the market.  The turbines are slated for delivery in the second quarter of 2018, while the facility is scheduled for commissioning between the last quarter of 2018 and the first quarter of 2019.

“Execution of this order marks an important milestone for Siemens Gamesa as it reinforces its position in a market that presents tremendous upside in wind power,” said José Antonio Miranda, CEO for Latin America. “This project falls under the scope of the RenovAr 1.5 project launched by the Argentine government in 2016 to foster investment in the renewable energy sector. The country has set itself the target of meeting 8% of demand for electricity from renewable sources in 2017 and 20% by 2025.”

Juan Fernando Carbel, CEO of the Arauco SAPEM wind complex, underlined the effort being made by Siemens Gamesa to incorporate local suppliers into its supply contracts. By combining Spanish nacelles with locally-made towers — a part that constitutes a substantial portion of the turbines, the domestic Argentine industry is being drawn into this important endeavor, creating manufacturing jobs in the country.

“With this order, we are stepping up our commitment to developing the local supply chain, as the manufacturing of the turbine towers was commissioned in Argentina,” agreed Miranda. Demonstrating our firm support for the successful implementation of the plan being championed by the government.”

He also noted that as well as reinforcing its relationship with local suppliers, Siemens Gamesa has developed new suppliers in order to comply with the rules governing the agreements entered into with the Rioja-based firm, Parque Eólico Arauco, and its special-purpose companies, which are tackling the biggest wind power undertaking in central-northern Argentina and undoubtedly one of the biggest in the whole country.

This is the second order secured by Siemens Gamesa in Argentina in 2017, having closed a contract with the same customer in March for execution of phases I and II of the Arauco complex.