The French transnational renewable energy company Total Eren will invest approximately US$ 370 million in a wind farm in San Marcos de Colón, with the capacity to generate 115 megawatts to the Honduran interconnected system.
The 25-year contract was signed yesterday by the manager of Empresa Nacional de Energía Eléctrica (ENEE), Erick Tejada, the executives of the European energy company and the French ambassador, Emmanuel Pineda, in the country’s capital.
After the signature, it will now be approved at the Board of Directors meeting and then sent to the National Congress of the Republic, said Tejada. “Today we have signed, it is the fifth of the addenda that we are going to submit to the Board of Directors and subsequently to the National Congress with the renegotiation of contracts.”
“It represents a substantial drop in price, below 10 cents per kilowatt hour and in addition, a 96-kilometer transmission line, refurbishing and equipping two nearby stations,” he added.
“It will become the cheapest wind technology contract in the country”, the investment “amounts to 370 million dollars, 115 megawatts, in addition, it will have firm power storage for the national interconnected system”, Tejada described.
Total Eren is a division specialized in renewable energy production with investments in countries such as Chile and is the first incursion in the region and one of the largest investments of French companies in Honduras, said Pineda.
The operation will be carried out through a PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) and is the first investment made in Honduras and the largest by any company, confirmed the French ambassador.
It is expected that four months after approval by the legislature, the transnational will begin installation work and generate 115 megawatts of clean energy, which will represent 5 percent of the country’s demand, according to the French ambassador.
“We are glad, this is going to strengthen bilateral relations a lot,” he also commented that Total “is a French oil company, but they are changing their model with a subsidiary specialized in renewable energy.” (JB)