News from Islands
Power station in northern Santo Antão reinforced with wind energy
The single power station that provides electricity to the northern part of the island of Santo Antão (the municipalities of Ribeira Grande and Paúl) was reinforced beginning in early April with energy coming from the first wind park in the island’s history.
Located in the Aguada de Janela district, just a few meters from the road connecting Paúl and Porto Novo, the wind farm is equipped with two 30-meter-high Micon wind turbines, each featuring three four-meter-long blades, in addition to modern production control equipment. Together, the two wind turbines have the capacity to produce 500 Kw of energy, depending on wind velocity.
According to Daniel Graça, the founding associate of the Cape Verdean company Electric, Lda., which owns the wind farm, the project was elaborated entirely by technicians from his company. Work began in 2007 and ended in early 2011. The first phase of the project cost some 120 million escudos and was co-financed in partnership with the Dutch government through Netherlands-based company Green Energy Services, which is also an associate.
The responsibility for the operation of the wind farm is entirely that of Electric Lda. “Our technicians went for special training in the Netherlands and are well prepared to take on the technical responsibilities they have been give, not just in the sectors of production control, equipment maintenance and energy conduction systems, but also in commercialization.”
“We began experimental production in the beginning of April, and since April 2 we’ve been providing the power station in Ribeira Grande with approximately 40% of its total consumption,” said Graça, who added that “we’re not providing more than this, because technically the network should not have a wind energy penetration of more than 35 to 40% of total consumption.”
