Bolivia launches largest wind farm and plans expansion

Bolivia has connected the country’s largest wind farm to the grid and is already planning to double its capacity, the government said over the weekend.

President Luis Arce inaugurated the 54MW El Dorado El Dorado (54MW) OnshoreCabezas, Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia, Central & South America Click to see full details wind farm in the eastern department of Santa Cruz on 5 November.

The plant is the latest of the three wind farms with a combined capacity of 108MW to be completed in recent months. The 14.4MW Warnes I Warnes I (14.4MW) OnshoreSanta Cruz Department, Bolivia, Central & South America Click to see full details wind farm and the 39.6MW San Julián San Julián (39.6MW) OnshoreSanta Cruz Department, Bolivia, Central & South America Click to see full details wind farm were inaugurated last September.

State power firm ENDE Corani developed all three projects.

The wind farms feature 30 of Vestas’s V163-3.45 turbines running in 3.6MW power-optimised mode.

El Dorado is due to begin commercial operations on 22 November.

“The El Dorado project is part of our policy to produce clean energy in order to reduce our CO2 emissions and aligns with our aim of providing electricity to every community in the country to improve the quality of life of the Bolivian people,” said oil and energy minister Franklin Molina.

The government is now working on plans to expand El Dorado by another 54MW.

In addition, ENDE Corani launched a tender earlier this year to build the 24MW La Ventolera wind farm in the southern department of Tarija. The project is being financed by the French development agency AFD and Bolivia’s central bank.

Speaking at a COP26 event, the oil and energy minister said that Bolivia aimed to expand its renewables capacity to reach 2GW by 2030.

“We are executing various electricity generation projects that use renewable energies, but we also have others that are in the planning stage to be implemented in the short and medium term, which will help the displacement of thermal generation units that emit greenhouse gases,” Molina said.