The project, worth US$ 165 million, will supply energy to approximately 100,000 people. Abengoa is expected to contribute US$6 million in equity to the project.
Abengoa will be responsible for the development, engineering and construction of the plant, as well as its subsequent operation and maintenance for a 20-year period. An operational leasing agreement, under which the Uruguayan state electricity company (UTE) will make a monthly payment, will generate revenues of US$ 500 million by the end of the maintenance period.
Construction on the project is scheduled to start in early 2014, with an approximate duration of 14 months according to the deadlines in the award process.
The wind farm will have 35 two-megawatt wind turbines that will generate enough energy to supply the whole of the city of Salto. The region has abundant wind that is relatively constant throughout the year, without significant fluctuations in speed.
Abengoa now has two 50 MW wind farms that it has been awarded in Uruguay. The first, in Peralta in the Tacuarembó Department, is in the final stage of construction, while works at the second site, in Cerro Colorado in the Flores Department, are about to begin. Both projects have signed 20-year power purchase agreements with the state electricity company,
UTE.