Baja California, Mexico -- Gamesa, the expansionist Spanish wind-power company, is stepping up its forays into Mexican with hopes to sell as many as
2,000 wind turbines to Baja California. Its plans come at a time when observers expect the windy state bordering Southern California will attract $6bn
of wind investments by 2015.
A string of industry heavyweights including Cannon Power, Union Fenosa and Sempra Energy are already pursuing ambitious projects in the region and
others are on their way, sources say. The companies hope to export the bulk of future production to the sunny state, which is having trouble meeting
its renewable energy targets.
Gamesa's regional sales director William Robinson says developers are so enthused about Baja's prospects that the region could attract 5,000 MW of
generation capacity by 2017. This will require around 2,000 turbines, which Gamesa hopes to supply from its US factories.
Already, Gamesa has a 10-year contract to sell turbines to Cannon Power, which is on track to build as much as 1,000 MW of wind parks by 2016.
$6 Billion by 2015
Cannon is just as excited about the region's wind potential. According to president Gary Hardke, the area stretching 10 miles wide and 80 miles long
could lure as much as $6bn from a wide range of wind players in five years.
This is mainly because California's saturated wind market and difficult permit environment is making it increasingly hard for developers to expand
there. In contrast, Baja has a huge untapped wind resource and permits are much easier to procure, observers say.
"There are no wind resources available in California like we have in Baja," Hardke confirms. "There is a huge corridor along the mountain
range that is still untapped." ["Mountain Range" = Sierra Juarez and San Pedro Martir]
Overall, Baja has 10,000 MW (and possibly even 20 GW) of commercially viable wind-power potential, experts say. So far, there are 70 MW in operation
but this is about to change as Cannon and several and the other utilities break ground on over 2,000 MW of projects. While Mexico's grid is expected
to consume some of the production, the majority will be exported to California, which has fallen behind in its ambitious green agenda.
Rader acknowledges some of this capacity could come from Baja California as the projections are based on in-state and out-of-state power stemming from
inter-connection grids. If the developers' predictions are right, the upcoming 5,000 MW slated for Baja would mean California could have nearly 10,000
MW of wind capacity in six years.
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