The renewable energy market has been growing at an astonishing rate over the past few years, with Europe playing a vital role in the advancement of the sector. SSE Renewables recently announced it has secured the necessary approval for 52 MW of new onshore wind projects in Italy and Spain, marking the continued growth of the sector across the European continent. SSE has a vast array of renewable energy projects in the region and has plans to boost both Spain and Italy’s wind energy sectors over the coming years.
SSE Renewables has taken a final investment decision on numerous new wind projects in Europe
At the recent G20 summit in South Africa, a litany of nations reaffirmed their commitments to clean energy production over the coming years to meet emission reduction mandates set in motion at the Paris Summit in 2016. To meet the new and necessary clean energy production and emission reduction requirements, investments in renewable energy are the only path forward.
The path towards net-zero emissions is paved by the efforts of companies like SSE Renewables, which has a singular focus on developing the renewable energy market to reach scalability in the coming years. Now, SSE has revealed that it has secured the necessary approval for a trio of new wind projects in Italy and Spain.
SSE is aiming to boost its onshore wind installed capacity in Europe
The firm has noted that the trio of new wind projects in southern Italy and northern Spain will deliver an additional 52MW of new onshore wind installed capacity, taking the firm’s pipeline of in-construction onshore projects in southern Europe to 133MW. This can influence other European nations to jump on board the renewable energy train after years of stagnation.
Spain and Italy are set to receive a massive wind energy boost in the years to come
The Spanish projects consist of the 23MW Portalrubio Wind Farm and the adjoining 19MW Minguez Wind Farm, both of which are located in the Teruel region of Aragón. These two projects combined will feature seven of the state-of-the-art Nordex wind turbines that have been manufactured at the company’s Spanish factory, boosting domestic employment and supply chains.
The Italian wind project has already seen some progress being reported by SSE, as the 10MW Tuturano Wind Farm in Puglia has already begun construction work on the necessary components for the wind farm and associated infrastructure. The Tuturano project will feature three onshore wind turbines manufactured and installed by Siemens Gamesa. SSE’s European wind portfolio is growing at an astonishing pace, as evidenced by recent developments in Ireland.
“I’m delighted we’ve taken final investment decisions to commence construction on 52MW of new onshore wind capacity at sites in Spain and Italy. We’ve taken these investment decisions in line with SSE’s always disciplined approach to project delivery and adherence to strict hurdle rates as we selectively build out our international pipeline. The addition of these projects in carefully selected markets grows our current portfolio of onshore wind projects in construction in southern Europe to 133MW.” – Richard Cave-Bigley, Director, Onshore Europe for SSE Renewables
SSE is aiming to build on the existing Spanish and Italian wind projects it has developed
The announcement of the new wind farms in Italy and Spain comes as SSE has already developed Jubera Wind Farm (64MW) in La Rioja, which is in northern Spain, and the combined Castel Favorito and Masseria la Cattiva (17MW) wind farm in Puglia, Italy. To sweeten the deal even more, the Spanish government has opened a new €350 million funding round for wind repowering, exemplifying the nation’s feelings towards the wind power sector. A new era of wind energy is gaining traction in Europe.
