458,000

Equivalent Homes

First renewable project in the framework of the Energy Reform

The ACCIONA's fifth wind farm in Mexico is the first to enter service of those associated with the Energy reform in the country

In September 2018, ACCIONA finished commissioning its fifth owned wind farm in Mexico. Built in 15 months, El Cortijo is a 183-megawatt (MW) power plant located in the state of Tamaulipas and involves an investment of 235 million dollars.

 

El Cortijo was the first renewable project to begin construction among those resulting from the electricity auctions held in Mexico within the framework of the Energy Reform and has been the first one to be completed too. Located 40 kilometers south of Reynosa, it features 61 AW125/3000 wind turbines of Nordex Acciona Windpower technology. Once in service, it will generate enough clean energy to meet the power demand of 458,000 Mexican homes, avoiding the emission of over 429 thousand tonnes of CO2 to the atmosphere annually.

 

 

GENERAL INFORMATION

  • Location: Reynosa, Tamaulipas. Mexico.
  • Capacity: 183 MW.
  • Wind turbine: Nordex ACCIONA Windpower AW125/3000.
  • Tower: Concrete, 120-meter hub height
  • Start up: September 2018.
  • Ownership: ACCIONA.

KEY ASPECTS

  • Investment of 235 millon dollars.
  • Made up of 61wind turbines.
  • Rotors with 125m diameter on 120m high concrete towers (at hub level)
  • First renewable project to be started and finished among those resulting from the Mexico's Energy Reform
  • Clean energy output equivalent to the power demand of 458,000 Mexican homes.
  • 366,000 tonnes of CO2 avoided each year.
  • Contribution of around 232 million US dollars to Mexico’s GDP during its working life, according to a socioeconomic impact study.
  • More than 400 people working during peak times
  • The project includes the laying of 173 km of cables, 12,802 cubic meters of concrete, 43 km of tracks and 1,456 special transports

Key figures

183

megawatts (MW)

458,000

Mexican equivalent households

61

wind turbines of 3 MW nominal unit capacity

429,000

of tons of CO2 into the atmosphere avoided

+400

created during construction

232

millions of $ to the Mexican GDP

Technology and innovation

GREENCHAIN®

We provide our customers with real-time traceability of energy from our renewable generation plants and storage systems to their points of consumption. This information is not only integrated in an interface that our customers can use to visualize or download the data or display dynamically in their facilities as a marketing tool, but it is also recorded in blockchain to increase transparency.  The I'MNOVATION Startups program was the umbrella under which the first pilot for this solution was developed.

Turbine for life

Project that contributes to increasing the useful life of wind turbines, to knowing the state of the fleet and to detecting abnormal behaviour in order to optimise the management and the costs of operation and maintenance of the assets. 

For the analysis of the remaining life of the structural components, work is being done on developing physical models. To predict failures in Acciona's wind turbine fleet, work is being done along two lines: the development of WindBrain® to detect abnormal behaviour, and the use of Machine Learning to identify failure patterns in wind components.