New Vestas Wind Project in Italy’s Apulia Region

Barcelona, Spain [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] Vestas has received an order for 18 units of the V90-2.0 MW turbine with a total installed capacity of 36 megawatts (MW). The order is placed by Inergia SPA, which will install the turbines in the Apulia Region close to Surbo, a town with 12,000 people located near the city of Lecce.

Lecce3, which is the name of the project, will be the first big wind power plant to be installed in the southern part of Apulia. The existing wind power plants of this region, adding up to approximately 300 MW of installed capacity, are all in the northern part of the region. The civil works have already started and all the turbines will be commissioned during the first six months of 2007. According to an estimate from Terna, the Puglia Region registered a 3.9 percent increase in local energy demand in 2005. “With this new wind farm, it will be possible to meet the energy needs of 33,000 local households,” said Ebbe Funk, President of Vestas Mediterranean A/S. “In addition, it will save the environment from 51,000 tons of CO2 per year.” The project is not only expected to have a positive effect on the environment, but also on local employment.