The company proposes installing up to 19 wind turbines with a maximum output of 3 megawatts near the El Pino wind farm, inaugurated in 2007
Torsa begins environmental assessment procedures with the Andalusian Regional Government to evaluate feasibility
Source: https://www.europasur.es/los_barrios/Torsa-nuevo-parque-eolico-Los-Barrios_0_1368163598.html
The Málaga-based company Torsa is planning the construction of a new wind farm in Los Barrios, where it already operates the El Pino wind farm, launched in 2007. The company is working on the design of a facility with up to 19 wind turbines on private land within the municipality of Los Barrios, between the estates El Patrón and El Castrillón.
This week, the mayor of Los Barrios, Miguel Alconchel, and a Torsa delegation held a working meeting with Daniel Sánchez, the territorial delegate for Sustainable Development of the Andalusian Government in Cádiz, to understand the necessary procedures and begin the environmental assessment process.
Through this procedure with the regional government, the exact number of turbines and the final capacity of the wind farm will be determined. “Torsa’s intention is to install turbines of around 3 megawatts each, subject to the results of the environmental assessment. Once this is completed, the company will submit the project to the Los Barrios Town Council,” explained Mayor Alconchel. “So far, we have received maximum institutional support,” he added.
Like El Pino, the new project will include radar technology to minimize the impact of the turbines on birdlife. If 19 turbines of 3 megawatts each are installed, the facility would reach a total capacity of 57 megawatts.
Torsa fully owns the El Pino wind farm, which was built in 2007 by Wigep Andalucía, with a 5% municipal stake through now-defunct public companies of the Los Barrios Town Council. It has a capacity of 24.6 megawatts, equivalent to the electricity consumption of approximately 21,000 households. The maximum generation capacity is up to 74 gigawatt-hours per year, which avoids the emission of up to 75,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide compared to conventional power generation.
The project involved an investment of 26 million euros and consists of eleven turbines that were, at the time, the most powerful of their kind installed in series in Spain. The turbines at El Pino were built by the Danish company Vestas: seven units of 1.8 kilowatts and four of 3 kilowatts. Each turbine weighs 88 tonnes, stands 80 metres tall, and has 44-metre blades made of carbon-reinforced fiberglass. El Pino is located in the Sierra de Montecoche, between the hills of Dos Hermanas and La Curtidora, at an average altitude of 300 metres above sea level.
The electricity generated by the wind farm is transmitted through underground circuits of 20 kilovolts to the El Pino substation, where it is stepped up to 66 kilovolts and then transported via an overhead line to the Pinar del Rey substation in San Roque.
Five wind farms in Andalusia
Torsa operates five wind farms in Andalusia and one solar farm, with a total installed capacity of 130.4 megawatts. In addition to the Los Barrios site, Torsa has facilities in Jerez (22 turbines, 42.5 megawatts), Tarifa (45 turbines, 48.8 megawatts), Guadix (1.5 megawatts), and Granada (2 turbines, 3 megawatts). The solar farm is located in Bélmez (Córdoba) and has a capacity of 10 megawatts.
In addition to renewable energy, Torsa also develops engineering solutions for the mining sector and applications for pharmaceutical logistics.
