COMPANY Presentation

Sotavento Galicia, Plc. was set up as an Experimental Wind Farm supported by the "Xunta de Galicia" the regional autonomous governnment. Its objective was to create a new concept in wind farms. Coordinated by the private and public sectors , it is a project in which the different types of wind power technology established in Galicia are represented.

Sotavento Galicia, Plc. is made up of two public companies: The Galician Energy Institute (INEGA) and The Energy Diversity and Saving Institute (IDAE), and four private companies representing the Galician electricity sector: Enel Union Fenosa Renovables; S.A., Enel Green Power España S.L, Iberdrola Renovables Galicia, S.A. and Energía de Galicia, S.A. (ENGASA).

In addition to the commercial explotation of a wind farm, Sotavento has three objectives that would have been undertaken with certain difficulty if it were only a private enterprise:

• The representation of the different types of technology established in Galicia in a "showcase" wind farm.
• The Renewable Energy Information Centre.
• The investigation and development activities carried out within the framework of the wind farm.

The wind farm´s technical diversity turns Sotavento into the ideal location to investigation, trainning and spreading of the renewable energies.

The Wind Farm features a line of 24 wind turbines, and the power installed is 17.56 Mw in all. The estimated annual production is 38.500 Mwh/year.

This is energy enough to supply electricity for 12.000 families and saves 68.000 barrels of petrol, avoiding the emission of 36.000 tons of CO₂ per year.

The prevailing winds in Sotavento are south-west and north-easterly, with an average annual speed of 7.5 m/s (27 km/h).

Sotavento Experimental Wind Farm was inaugurated by His Royal Highness Philip of Bourbon, The Prince of Asturias on the 21st June 2001.