Renewable energies in Argentina have had an exponential growth in recent years and have recorded a significant leap forward since 2011. According to the information received from the Wholesale Electric Market Management Company (CAMMESA), the dispatch of energy from renewable sources at the beginning of 2020 has already covered 8 % of the national demand. Although a larger percentage for this instance was expected with a goal of 20% for 2025, it means a significant growth.
Five years ago, the scenario projected for this situation was less optimistic than the reality shown today. Argentina is ranked seventh as regards attractiveness of renewables in emerging markets, according to Bloomberg New Economy Forum and is among the three countries with the greatest potential for development worldwide both in wind and solar generation.
Within this context, Genneia is one of the prominent national players that currently accounts for 20 % of the energy from clean sources injected into the energy matrix of our country and 30% of the total wind energy. From the starting point in 2012, when the company inaugurated its Rawson Wind Farm, up to now , Genneia has developed 700 MW of renewable energies installed in seven wind parks and a solar park that inject about 2,700GWh of clean energy per year.
As a result, the company currently saves more than a million tons of polluting gases released into the atmosphere annually and supplies more than 900,000 households in the country. Likewise, through Term Market contracts of renewable energies, Genneia provides the large users like Bimbo with 100% of clean energy, ensuring total green production.
The company’s strongest wind power generation pool is located in the city of Chubut, within the area identified as “Madryn Node”. There are WInd Farms in this region such as Trelew (51MW), Rawson (108 MW), Chubut Norte (29MW) and the largest one in the country in Madryn (220 MW), to which the construction of the projects Chubut Norte II, III and IV will be added by the end of 2020.
“Chubut province holds an outstanding position at world level because of the capacity and quality of its winds. While Europe estimates a wind power capacity factor of 25%, Argentine Patagonia has a leading position with 45 %”, explains Gustavo Castagnino, Director of Corporate Affairs at Genneia. Currently, with an investment of more than US$ 900 million, the four operating plants have 142 installed wind turbines, which are added to the local landscape and encourage independence and energetic autonomy of the province.
In the framework of the pandemic, the company’s works that continue under construction in the province of Chubut are in progress with the best health care and reduced equipment; prioritizing the health of all employees and the measures declared in the province. Nowadays, the work exceeds a 60 % progress and its completion is estimated in the last quarter of 2020.
On the other hand, during these months in 2020, Genneia inaugurated the wind park “Vientos de Necochea”, its last project in operation, together with Centrales of the Atlantic Coast located in the area of Punta Negra, Buenos Aires. It is the first wind farm in the city of Necochea and was the first one to operate on the Atlantic Coast, increasing the availability of power in the area.
Once all the projects currently in process have been completed, Genneia will be in a position to inject clean, efficient and renewable energy for almost 1.2 million households, businesses or industries, helping to mitigate global warming by reducing 1.8 million tons of greenhouse gases to the environment.
Following this period in our country, it is expected that in the medium term the renewable will continue being the growth vector of the generation, towards a more sustainable country.
“From Genneia’s point of view, we go on encouraging our inherent value of innovation with the aim of developing new complementary technologies for the growth of the industry. In this respect, plans for 2021 are associated with the research work into the renewable energy storage, which will allow predictability in the system for its use at the disposal of the users’ needs”, says Castagnino.
Renewable energies have positive impacts in any scenario, but especially in times of pandemic they can help to avoid a “rebound effect” of pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. If a transition to greater development and consumption of clean energy is encouraged, it will mean a significant environmental and economic improvement both at a national and global level.
