Image courtesy of Iberdrola
Iberdrola has begun commissioning the Tâmega Norte wind farm in northern Portugal, marking the latest phase in the company’s Tâmega Complex hybrid wind-hydroelectric project.
Located between Braga and Vila Real in the municipalities of Cabeceiras de Basto and Montalegre, Tâmega Norte is the first of two wind farms linked to the pumped storage hydropower system that forms the Tâmega Complex. Iberdrola said the scheme is the first grid-connected wind-hydro hybrid project on the Iberian Peninsula.
The project combines two wind farms – Tâmega Norte and Tâmega Sul – with a pumped storage hydroelectric system. Iberdrola said the hybrid configuration allows the technologies to share grid connection infrastructure, reduce environmental impact and improve electricity system stability.
Tâmega Norte will have installed capacity of 195MW from 27 Vestas wind turbines rated at 7.2MW each. The turbines have a rotor height of 172m. Iberdrola said the project includes some of the highest-capacity onshore wind equipment installed by the company.
Construction work was affected by weather conditions and environmental restrictions linked to breeding seasons for protected species, which impacted schedules during spring and summer. At peak construction, around 150 people worked on the project, including transport, installation, crane, HSE, supervision and Vestas personnel.
Iberdrola said Tâmega Norte is expected to generate around 414 GWh annually. Tâmega Sul, which remains under construction, is expected to generate 185 GWh per year.
Electricity from the wind farms will use existing transmission infrastructure connected through the Red Eléctrica Nacional (REN) hub in Ribeira de Pena, with connections from the Daivões and Gouvães substations.
