Iberdrola begins commissioning of El Puntal II wind farm with the most powerful wind turbines in Spain

Iberdrola has started the commissioning process of the El Puntal II wind farm, located in the municipality of Sierra de las Yeguas, in Malaga. This facility has the most powerful and largest wind turbines in Spain.

In fact, it will have a capacity of 15 MW of clean energy with only three wind turbines, whose rotor blades measure 145 metres and have a total height to the ground of 163.5 metres, more than the length of 1.5 times the Cathedral of Malaga.

El Puntal II will prevent the emission of 6,000 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere and will be able to supply renewable energy to around 12,500 households.

This new facility is part of a wind farm complex that includes three wind farms located between the provinces of Malaga and Seville, which will have a total capacity of 79 MW.

'Anti-collision' blades

One of them is the Martín de la Jara wind farm, where the installation of its V150 wind turbines, which have the largest blades in Spain with 150 metres of rotor, has begun. This project, which was declared of strategic interest by the Andalusian regional government, will have 36 MW of installed capacity. The plant, located between the municipalities of Martín de la Jara and Campillos (Seville) and Sierra de las Yeguas (Malaga), will supply energy to 34,000 homes and will prevent the emission of 22,000 tonnes of CO2, when it comes into operation.

This wind farm will incorporate a novel pilot initiative to improve the visibility of the wind turbines and deter certain species of birds in the area of influence of the facility. One of the blades of each of its nine wind turbines will be painted with red stripes, providing greater contrast between them and making them more visible to birds.

This action, already tested in French airports, is based on a study by the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, which estimates a 70% reduction in bird sightings following the implementation of these measures.

The third wind farm in this renewable complex in Andalusia will be the 28 MW San Cristóbal wind farm, to be built in the municipality of Estepa, which is currently in the processing phase.

The construction of these wind projects will mobilise suppliers and local employment, with the combined hiring of more than 150 professionals. Once in operation, the wind farms will generate clean energy to supply a population equivalent of 70,000 homes and will avoid the emission of 39,200 tonnes of CO2 per year.

Andalusia is one of Iberdrola's major growth poles in Spain. The company expects to reach 3,000 MW of renewable energy in the coming years. This plan represents an investment of close to €1.5 billion and will create 5,500 new jobs in the region during installation and assembly alone. Iberdrola is currently the leading wind power developer in Andalusia and has an installed renewable capacity of 817 MW.