Elecaustro to acquire new wind measurement towers

Ecuadorian state generator Elecaustro will acquire new measurement towers for its Minas de Huascachaca wind project, a company official told BNamericas. The project envisions a wind farm comprised of 20, 1.5MW turbines some 84km southwest of Cuenca city in an area straddling the provinces of Azuay and Loja. The 80m-high towers will confirm whether greater velocity exists at a higher height, said the official. The average wind speed in the area is 5.9m/s, with the highest speeds in July-September. The official added that design of access roads and the transmission line will be drafted in coming months. Consultancy Corporación para la Investigación Energética carried out feasibility studies. Provinces Bolívar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, Imbabura and Pichincha also have been identified as having wind power generation potential. Ecuador's only operational wind park is on the Galápagos islands, while the country's first mainland wind farm - the 16.5MW Villonaco project - is penciled in to come online in the second half of next year.