Elecnor starts building 320-MW Cimarron wind farm in Mexico

Spanish infrastructure builder and operator Elecnor SA (BME:ENO) said on Tuesday that it has started construction of the 320-MW Cimarron wind farm in Mexico, after securing the EPC contract for the project.

Developed by Sempra Infrastructure, part of US energy company Sempra (NYSE:SRE), Cimarron is a cross-border wind project that will generate power in Mexico and send its across the existing transmission line to the US state of California.

Sempra Infrastructure announced the USD-500-million (EUR 462.3m) final investment decision for the project in March this year. The energy infrastructure company awarded the EPC contract to Elecnor and the turbine supply contract to Denmark’s Vestas Wind Systems A/S (CPH:VWS).

Cimarron will feature 64 Vestas wind turbines installed in the municipality of Tecate, Baja California. The project is the third phase of the Energia Sierra Juarez (ESJ) wind farm complex, which will have an installed capacity of more than 580 MW once Cimarron is up and running.

Cimarron will use Sempra Infrastructure’s cross-border high-voltage transmission line that directly connects the ESJ complex to the California grid operator CAISO.

On the other side of the border, municipal electric utility Silicon Valley Power will off-take the Cimarron wind farm’s output under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA).

The wind farm is expected to start generating power by the end of 2025, Elecnor said.

(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.925)

Choose your newsletter by Renewables Now. Join for free!