Unión Eólica has installed the first of 88 turbines on its wind farm in Penonomé in Cocle, in which it will be investing $450 million.
From a press release from the Government of Panama:
For the first time in the history of Panama the first wind turbine has been installed marking the start of the assembly of the Parque Eólico Penonomé as announced at a ceremony attended by President Ricardo Martinelli, who said that thanks to the decision of this government, they have chosen to diversify the country's energy matrix, as exemplified by the installation in this region for the production of cheaper energy, benefiting Panamanians by reducing the costs of the basic food basket.
A new wind farm and the expansion of the International Airport of El Salvador, are the first two projects to be conducted under this system.
"Today (yesterday) I called a meeting with the president of CEPA (Autonomous Executive Port Commission) and CEL (Executive Hydroelectric Commission of the Lempa River) to immediately structure the first two projects: the expansion of the international airport and the wind project which the CEL is working with," said Alexander Segovia, Technical Secretary of the Presidency.
Investment for the 3.9 MW wind farm, to be built in the Bay Islands, is estimated at $6 million.
According to Richard Warren, vice president and general manager of Roatan Electric Company (RECO), the Ocean View wind farm will be built by the company Tradewinds ENERGY on the island of Roatan, and will produce up to 3.9 megawatts of wind power.
Energy generated from wind power has great potential for growth in a region where access to natural gas is limited and countries mainly depend on diesel.
According to Adrian Katzew, manager of the Danish firm Vestas, a wind turbine manufacturer, the wind industry’s potential for growth of at the regional level is very high, considering that in Central America and the Caribbean there is no easy access to natural gas, meaning that power generation is dependant mainly on diesel and hydroelectric sources "which are very cyclical."
The province of Guanacaste, an area where the winds blow strong, is hot for investors interested in developing wind farms.
In Tilarán, Guanacaste, there are already five power plants with wind turbines in operation. One is owned by the state run Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE), and the other four are owned by private businessmen.
In an article in Nacion.com, Jovel Arias, mayor, said that because of the prevailing wind conditions in the area, "there are many investors interested in developing wind farms."
The government has finalized three agreements for electricity generation in wind farms which will produce 94 megawatts of clean energy.
A statement from the Presidency of Honduras reads:
Government signs three agreements for wind power generation
Thursday, December 20, 2012
The agreements are with the companies Vientos de Electrotecnia, Parque Eólico de San Marcos; Proyecto Eólico Chinchayote and the expansion of Cerro de Hula, Globeleq Mesoamérica.
12 turbines have been added at Cerro de Hula wind farm, with an additional investment of $63 million.
Currently the Cerro de Hula wind farm, owned by Energía Eólica de Honduras, a subsidiary of Globeleq Mesoamerica Energy, has a generating capacity of 102 MW.
The investment of $63 million announced by Deputy Minister of Natural Resources of Honduras, Roberto Cardona, will increase generation by 25 MW, bringing the total generating potential of Cerro Hula to 127 MW.
In the tender for energy from clean sources convened in Costa Rica, private wind generators offered a kilowatt hour at $0.0830.
The cost per kilowatt hour generated at the wind farm belonging to the public National Power and Light Company (Compañía Nacional de Fuerza y Luz or CNFL in Spanish) is $0.22.
Nacion.com reports that "private generators offered the ICE wind energy which was almost three times cheaper than that produced by state enterprises.
El Ventarrón is a wind farm whose installation is being proposed in San Jeronimo, in San Juan del Sur, with an investment of $150 million.
It will be the fifth wind farm to be built in Nicaragua, and is expected to have a generating capacity of 100 MW, more than that of any other currently operating and under construction.
The Environmental Management Plan project was presented at the Marena departmental delegation , in Rivas, and "as stated in the project documentation, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Marena, and issued the necessary guarantee for the implementation of the works. "
After starting operations on November 14, the renewable energy project Eolo has already generated five billion kilowatt hours for the Nicaraguan national grid.
The cost of a megawatt hour from the wind energy plant is about a hundred dollars, according to the country manager and Nicaragua is currently buying at $150 or $250 per kilowatt hour from other renewable sources.
Chinese wind turbine manufacturers are betting on growth in the Latin American market, offering loans backed by their government at very competitive rates.
Interest rates could be as much as 50% lower than those granted by local banks.
"The package being offered could make buyers choose Chinese machines in preference to those of Western manufacturers such as Vestas Wind Systems A / S of Denmark or General Electric Co., in a similar manner to the U.S. government helping exporters to sell cotton from dependent countries guaranteeing loans or insurance", noted an article in Prensa.com
Project "Eoleo" aims to generate 44 MW of renewable energy in Rivas, Nicaragua.
The privately funded initiative will be financed with $90 million in loans from European banks and $25 million provided by Nicaraguan investors.
It will boast 22 generators, 18 of which will be located on the shoreline of Lake Nicaragua, while the remaining four will be placed on the west side of the Pan-American Highway.
The deal, which is still subject to bank approval, will mean the Honduran group will have raised $50 million from the Inter-American Corporation for Investments.
An article in reports Laprensa.com that the negotiations began two months ago, when the entrepreneur Freddy Nasser of Terra Group approached Joaquín Cuadra Lacayo, president of Blue Power & Energy, "to sound out the business opportunity.