Start of construction 

The project’s construction works started around 1 month before the initial planned time. To enable the project’s construction, the company raised special accommodation with capacity for about 500 people, due to the size of the park and its location, in a region 542 km away from the capital Teresina, where there is no offer of housing in hotels to supply the flow of people who work at the site.

Start of construction 138 kV substation and Start of construction 138 kV Transmission Line/ start of construction of the 500kV transmission line.

The grandeur of the Lagos dos Ventos wind park required the construction of two transmission lines, one for 500 kv and another for 138 kv. Together, the two transmission lines cover 118 km, more than the whole metro rail network of São Paulo, the largest Brazilian city, which spans around 101 km. 

Transmission Line comprises a total of 191 towers and is the largest Transmission Line built by Enel in the world. Meanwhile, the 138 kv Transmission Line has 52 towers. In addition to the start of construction for the two Transmission Lines, this stage of the works, which began in May, also included the start of building works at the 138 kb substation. On average, the construction of a substation of this kind takes 12 months and is essential for the advancement of the project as a whole. In general terms, the substation’s function is to receive the energy generated by the wind turbines, in a voltage level of 34.5kV, and raise it to a voltage compatible with the National Interlinked System’s (NIS) substation. It is at the heart of the substation, in the power transformers, that the elevation of the voltage delivered by the wind turbines to the voltage level of the transmission line takes place.

Start of construction of the 500 kV substation and start of construction of the Medium Voltage grid

The 500 kv substation will be comprised of 3 large transformers and the medium-voltage grid will cover 290 km in total, with around 2,500 posts.

First wind turbine deliveries on site

This stage of the project happens gradually and lasts many months. In total, at the Lagoa dos Ventos park, the transport of the components that comprise the wind turbines will require more than 6,200 lorry journeys. Part of the equipment is imported and travels 836 km between the port of Salvador, in the capital of the State of Bahia, and the site. The concrete towers, meanwhile, are built in the municipality of Lagoa do Barro, in the area of influence of the Lagoa dos Ventos wind park.

The assembly of the 230 towers that make up the Lagoa dos Ventos park began in October 2019. Each tower is 118 metres tall and is divided into 6 main parts (assembly sections). The towers weigh a little more than 1,100 tonnes each and the full assembly of each tower lasts approximately two weeks, with the use of a special crane so the workers can conclude the assembly of the components at such heights. The turbines (nacelle, blades, hub and other parts), meanwhile, weigh approximately 942 tonnes each. Considering the 230 wind turbines that will be assembled in total at Lagoa dos Ventos, the accumulated weight is 216,000 tonnes, corresponding to 36,000 African elephants weighing 6 tonnes each. To assemble the towers and wind turbines, six different crane models are involved.

Start of activities related to the Connection Bay

Located 100 km away from the park, the Connection Bay is in the town of São João do Piauí and makes the connection between the 500 kv Transmission Line coming in from the wind park’s substation and the energy transmission substation that integrates the Brazilian National Interlinked System (NIS), s the energy generated at the park is distributed, contributing to the increase in generation from clean sources in Brazil and to the diversification of the energy mix.