In the province of Loja, The Villonaco III wind power plant, which will have a power of 110 megawatts, It will be the largest in the country. The concession of this project, which includes private investment from 181 million dollars, It was signed by President Guillermo Lasso on the afternoon of Thursday, July 6, in Quito.

He will manage the project The Spanish Cobra Consortium, which also has investments in the oil sector of the country, and will operate from 2025. It will be able to supply electricity to 30,000 families, the president explained.

Villonaco III will have installed capacity equivalent to seven times more than Villonaco I, which produces 16 megawatts. Starting a new wind farm project will avoid the emission of 321,000 tons of CO2 every year, which is like taking 5,000 city buses out of service, explained Laso.

“Is concession for 25 years, with an investment of 181 million dollars. It is a completely private investment,” the head of state pointed out and emphasized that it will increase the supply of electricity during the dry season in the Amazon basin, avoiding the risks of power outages.

Lasso pointed out that alliances between private companies and the public sector They are an excellent way to achieve progress and development of the people. “When the state does not have enough resources to carry out the works it needs, it is logical to turn to those who have the money and the will to carry them out,” he said.

The concession agreement with Cobra Group includes design, financing, construction, installation, assembly, commissioning, operation, maintenance and sale of electricity.

This was said by the Minister of Energy, Fernando Santos will create around 900 jobsbetween direct and indirect. He emphasized that with this project, the state fulfills its obligation to prevent global warming by changing its energy matrix towards clean and renewable energy.

He pointed out that between May 2022 and the same month in 2023, energy demand in Ecuador increased by 10%, which implies the need for “big investments” for the production of electricity.

Santos mentioned that the process for the concession had the advice of officials United States Department of the Treasury, since the works will be financed by an official agency of the government of that country.

Eduardo Mora intervened on behalf of the Cobra Group in Ecuador and the company VillonacoEnergy SA, who reiterated that the main target is Villonaco III increase electricity production Earth. He assured that the wind farm will be built according to the highest standards.