Construction has begun on the US$117.5 million Kiyú wind farm, located in the San José district of Uruguay. Mott MacDonald is monitoring construction of the plant, which is being developed by Spanish company Cobra Instalaciones y Servicios, on behalf of Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank.
The 49MW Kiyú wind farm will comprise 16 Vestas V112-3,075kW wind turbines capable of generating approximately 200GWhs of electricity annually – enough to power over 50,000 households. A 150kV transmission line will also be constructed as part of the scheme.
Mott MacDonald will undertake quarterly site inspection visits and provide technical, environmental and social monitoring services. The consultancy will also review and certify the technical project completion in accordance with the construction contracts and financing agreement.
Alvaro Corral, Mott MacDonald’s project manager, said: “The Kiyú wind farm is part of a major initiative by the Uruguayan government to reduce the country’s dependence on expensive electricity imports during draught periods of the year. This will diversify the country’s energy sector by installing 1,200MW of wind capacity by the end of 2015. Mott MacDonald is actively contributing to the initiative, working on ten schemes in the last two years.”
The Kiyú wind farm is due to become operational by the end of 2015. Mott MacDonald will then provide operational monitoring services in an ongoing role.