Wedoany.com Report-Jul. 5, The Basque Government and Iberdrola will jointly invest €59 million in the Labraza wind farm, the first wind power project to be developed in the Basque Country since 2006. The facility will be located in the municipality of Oion, in the province of Alava, and will have an installed capacity of 40 megawatts (MW).

The project, led by Aixeindar—a company jointly owned by Iberdrola and the Basque Government’s energy agency, Ente Vasco de la Energía (EVE)—marks a significant step forward in the region’s renewable energy development. Aixeindar has already submitted the building permit application, with construction expected to begin in the last quarter of this year. The wind farm is anticipated to be operational one year later.

Labraza will consist of eight Siemens Gamesa SG 5.0-145 (2.0) 5MW turbines, part of the manufacturer’s 4X platform. Once operational, the wind farm is projected to generate approximately 99,679 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity annually—enough to supply renewable energy to around 30,000 households. It will also help avoid the emission of approximately 16,300 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.

The installation will increase the Basque Country’s total wind energy capacity by 26%, from the current 153 MW to 193 MW. The project will utilize existing infrastructure, connecting to the grid via the substation of nearby wind farms in Aguilar de Codés, Navarra, eliminating the need for new electrical transmission lines.

Mikel Jauregi, Minister of Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability, said: “For the first time in 20 years, the Basque Country will have a new wind farm that will generate green energy for our homes and industries. And we will do it from the public-private initiative, counting on the value chain of our wind industry, a sector in which we are a benchmark in Europe.”

He added: “We also want a social model that directly benefits, first and foremost, the residents of the towns in which the renewable projects are developed, the local councils and administrations, and the companies in the surrounding area. In this way, we contribute to environmental care, decarbonisation, the development of our industry, and the improvement of society, towns and local businesses.”

Kerman Gabiola, Managing Director of Siemens Energy and Siemens Gamesa in Spain, also emphasized the significance of the project: “We are proud to be able to carry it out together with our partner Iberdrola, and with the Ente Vasco de la Energía and the Basque Government. The local added value is very high. This is the first wind farm to be built in the Basque Country in the last two decades, which is an important step forward in the reactivation of wind energy in the region.”

The construction phase of the Labraza wind farm is expected to generate up to 90 local jobs.