Iberdrola Begins Commissioning of Portugal’s Tâmega Wind-Hydro Megaproject

Iberdrola has begun commissioning the 195-MW Tâmega Norte wind farm, developed with turbine supplier Vestas, as part of the Tâmega Complex hybrid wind-hydroelectric megaproject located between Braga and Vila Real, in the Portuguese municipalities of Cabeceiras de Basto and Montalegre.

Tâmega Norte is the first of two wind farms being developed within the Tâmega Complex and forms part of the Iberian Peninsula’s first grid-connected hybrid wind and hydropower project. The overall system will integrate northern and southern wind farms with a large pumped-storage hydroelectric facility, enabling renewable energy to be stored and dispatched when electricity demand increases.

The Tâmega Norte wind farm will have an installed capacity of 195 MW and will feature 27 advanced Vestas wind turbines. Each turbine is rated at 7.2 MW and equipped with a 172-metre rotor, making the project one of the company’s largest onshore wind installations in terms of turbine capacity. Tâmega Norte is expected to produce around 414 GWh of electricity annually, while the Tâmega Sul wind farm, which is still under construction, is projected to generate approximately 185 GWh per year. Power from both facilities will be delivered through the existing transmission infrastructure of the Tâmega Complex. The grid connection will be routed through the Red Eléctrica Nacional (REN) hub in Ribeira de Pena, with northern transmission linked via the Daivões substation and southern transmission connected through Gouvães.

The combined investment in the two wind farms totals €346 million (US$402 million), including €237 million (US$275.5 million) allocated to Tâmega Norte and €109 million (US$127 million) to Tâmega Sul. The development has brought together several domestic and international suppliers, among them Haizea Wind, whose subsidiary HaizeaTecnoaranda supplied metal structures and cast components to Vestas, a global leader in wind turbine manufacturing. The project is backed financially by the European Investment Bank and also includes participation from Norges Bank, which, in partnership with Iberdrola, will acquire a 49% ownership stake once the facility enters operation.

.