Ireland’s Mainstream Renewable Power and Chinese firm Goldwind have strengthened their relationship by signing a 50-50 joint venture deal to build a wind farm in Chile.
The agreement is the companies’ second for a project in Chile and third overall. The latest collaboration will see them construct the first phase of the Ckani wind farm in the Antofagasta region of northern Chile.
The Ckani wind farm has a potential capacity of 240 MW. The first 70 MW phase will consist of 47 Goldwind GW87 1.5 MW wind turbines, with construction expected to start by the end of 2012.
According to Eddie O’Connor, CEO of Mainstream, collaboration with China is “core to Mainstream’s global strategy”. Last year Mainstream opened an office in Beijing and welcomed Liming Wang, Director of the UCD Confucius Institute for Ireland, on to its Board of Directors.
“Mainstream’s goal is to deliver low cost, high quality renewable energy projects by partnering with world-leading Chinese technology manufacturers like Goldwind,” said O’Connor. “It’s simple; Mainstream has over 15 000 MW of wind and solar projects globally and our Chinese partners have the world-leading technology which is ready to deploy cost-effectively and at scale.”
The Ckani wind farm received environmental approval in December 2011 and will be connected to Chile’s SING grid. Mainstream plans to have all 240 MW operational by 2015.
In December 2011 Mainstream purchased 23 of Goldwind’s GW87 1.5 MW wind turbines for the 34.5MW Negrete Cuel Wind Farm in central Chile. The two companies have also collaborated in a project in Ecuador.
Goldwind says that its permanent magnet-generator wind turbine technology and its ability to offer financing solutions mean that its is “well-positioned” for growth in the markets of North and South America.