Wigton Signs US$40 Million Contract for 24 MW Expansion
By: , January 19, 2015The Key Point:
Photo: Contributed
Ian Kelly, Chairman of Wigton Windfarm (second left) and Ricardo Chocarro, (third right) CEO for Europe & RoW, Gamesa, shake hands to seal the deal after signing contracts valued at US$40 million for the construction of Wigton III, a 24MW expansion to Wigton’s wind farm complex in Manchester. The agreement was signed recently at Gamesa’s headquarters in Madrid, Spain. Also present at the signing were, (from left) Earl Barrett, Wigton’s General Manager, Winston Watson, Group General Manager of the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica, (PCJ) as well as Gamesa Executives, Enrique Pedrosa, Director of Sales and Manuel Garmendia, Sales Manager for Latin America.The Facts
- Under the agreement, Gamesa, a global technology leader in wind energy, will execute a turnkey construction project which will involve the installation of 12 of its G80-2.0 MW wind turbines.
- Gamesa has installed over 30,000 MW in 47 countries in the last two decades, establishing itself as a world technology leader in the wind power industry.
The Full Story
Wigton Windfarm Limited, a subsidiary of the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) has signed a contract valued at approximately US$40 million with the Spanish firm, Gamesa, for the construction of Wigton III, a 24MW expansion of its wind farm complex in Rose Hill, Manchester.
Under the agreement, Gamesa, a global technology leader in wind energy, will execute a turnkey construction project which will involve the installation of 12 of its G80-2.0 MW wind turbines. The expansion will bring Wigton’s total capacity to 62.7MW.
Work is scheduled to begin in April with commissioning projected for February 2016. The project is expected to create 125 jobs during its construction phase and then three permanent positions for engineers after commissioning.
With projected output of 63,072 MWh annually, it is anticipated that Wigton III will reduce national oil consumption by over 37,100 barrels per year. This should generate savings of approximately JA$214 million* annually at current oil prices.
In addition, the new facility will provide power for more than 31,500 homes and increase renewable energy input to the national grid by more than 2%. This will contribute to the Government’s drive to have 20% of the national energy supply from renewable sources by 2030.
“We are pleased to welcome a company of Gamesa’s calibre to Jamaica to implement a project of such national significance,” said Wigton’s Chairman, Ian Kelly.
“Wigton has a solid track record of continuously meetings its objectives for production, as well as development and expansion and we are confident in Gamesa’s capacity to help us deliver once again,” he added.
Gamesa has installed over 30,000 MW in 47 countries in the last two decades, establishing itself as a world technology leader in the wind power industry. The company has a strong presence in the Caribbean and Central America having developed wind farms in Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Puerto Rico.
Wigton’s 38.7MW wind farm is the largest wind energy facility in the English-speaking Caribbean. In its 10 years of operations the company has saved the country close to JA$3 billion by reducing oil consumption by close to 406,000 barrels.
*This amount is based on a rate of US $50 per barrel and is subject to change.