Celebrating 500th Anniversary of Galapagos’ Discovery,Power Utilities from US, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, Russia Team on Project to Help Protect “Mona Lisa” of Biodiversity
In January 2001, the world held its breath when the tanker Jessica, loaded with 150,000 gallons of fuel, struck a reef and began breaking up in the heart of one of the most precious, famous and fragile ecosystems on earth – the Galapagos Islands.
At risk were vast numbers of unique species of flora and fauna renowned through studies by Charles Darwin that contributed to his landmark theory of evolution by natural selection.
While scores of wildlife required cleaning by Galapagos National Park Service staff and volunteers, the wind and currents stepped in to narrowly avert an environmental catastrophe. Yet the sight of thousands of gallons of oil pouring into the ocean off the Galapagos island of San Cristobal triggered a determined international initiative to mitigate risks of future spills by dramatically reducing the islands’ dependence on diesel fuel to generate electricity.
On Monday, Feb. 18, in celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Galapagos’ discovery, Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa will launch his country’s programme to rid the use of fossil fuels on the Galapagos by 2015, an initiative led by the San Cristobal Wind Project – three giant wind turbines that will halve the island’s diesel fuel imports and pave the way for further renewable energy development elsewhere in the archipelago.
Turbines installed by the San Cristobal Wind Project, an international partnership between the government of Ecuador, the UN Development Program and nine of the world’s largest electricity companies (known as the e8), started supplying power on the islands last October. The system will meet 60 to 80% of electrical demand during the windy months of October, November and December.
Umbrella program for archipelago
The San Cristobal Wind Project is the first stage of an umbrella program supported by Equador and UNDP that will eventually bring renewable electricity – hybrid wind-diesel with some photovoltaic (solar) – to the 30,000 residents of the Galapagos archipelago’s five inhabited islands.
The San Cristobal project’s primary objectives:
- Reduce the risk of oil spills associated with the transport and delivery of fuel to the island;
- Reduce air pollution and greenhouse gases caused by burning fossil fuels;
- Contribute to the protection of the region’s unique biodiversity.
On a larger scale, the project is an example of multilateral collaboration for climate change mitigation and a showcase for the global promotion of small-scale renewable energy power generation and distribution systems in remote areas.While replacing noisy, polluting diesel generators with clean, renewable wind power would seem a natural development for the world’s most famous ecological site, the journey from feasibility study to construction and completion was anything but straightforward.
Lead company in the project’s development, funding and implementation was American Electric Power, which provided about half of the $10.8 million funding. Some $3.2 million was provided by Ecuador and $1 million from the United Nations Foundation, coupled with contributions from the UNDP and other sources. A trust has been established to facilitate the system’s ongoing training, maintenance and operation, and eventual removal.
“From day one, the overriding concern was the need to protect this invaluable place and its incredible biodiversity,” says Michael G. Morris, CEO of AEP. “The e8 team approached this work with a level of caution akin to the curators responsible for da Vinci’s Mona Lisa or Michelangelo’s David.”
AEP project team leader Paul Loeffelman says the lengthy feasibility study undertaken to address institutional, financial and environmental questions identified when e8 accepted the project was primarily a result of extensive monitoring and studies of the Galapagos Petrel that nests on the island.
Protecting the Petrel
One of the six endemic marine birds of the Galapagos Archipelago, the long-winged Galapagos Petrel has been declared “critically endangered” by the World Conservation Union (IUCN).
The petrel nests in burrows where its eggs and chicks are preyed upon by rats and cats, non-native species first introduced to the islands via pirate and other ships. Petrel nesting areas are located in the highlands of several islands, in sites with dense vegetation and soil. In recent decades, the petrel population has been seriously impacted by agricultural expansion and the associated increase in predators and other invasive species that crowd out plants supporting the petrel, particularly the endangered endemic plant Miconia.
Early in the extensive environmental investigation, the e8 project team found that the site first proposed for the turbines, San Joaquin, had active petrel nests as well as Miconia. The turbine site was changed to the hill known as El Tropezón, an agricultural area with no petrel nests and few Miconia plants.
But the effort to protect the petrel did not end there. Because petrels spend the daylight hours fishing at sea and return to the island at night, little was known about their flight paths. The e8 team undertook studies to find out if the petrel flew near the proposed wind project site.
A Bird Review Committee, formed to assess the field testing results, reported that only a few petrels had been observed flying over the project site during the five month study. It was also believed that the petrels stayed close to the ground when flying over hills such as El Tropezón, well below the sweep of the turbines’ blades.
The committee concluded that although the turbines presented no significant threat to the petrel, some of the birds were being killed when they flew into transmission lines.
As a result, the project buried the transmission line near El Tropezón hill, chose turbine towers with no tension wires and minimized fencing – all to minimize potentially lethal obstructions in the petrels’ flight path.
The EMP also called for a rat control program and a long-term study of petrel flight patterns to determine whether the turbines can operate at night during the nesting season without negative impacts.
Project registered under Kyoto’s Clean Development Mechanism
The San Cristobal Wind Project has been registered as a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project under the Kyoto Protocol. The CDM is designed to help developing countries in achieving sustainable development while supporting industrialized countries in achieving compliance with their greenhouse gas reduction commitments.
The project will now receive Certified Emission Reduction (CER) credits for the diesel electricity generation effectively replaced by the wind turbines.
According to project manager Luis Vintimilla of EOLICSA, the company established to operate the project, it is not possible to replace all diesel generation capacity with wind power.
“That would be ideal, but there is not enough wind year round,” he said. “In particular, during four months of the year with unfavorable wind conditions, during certain hours on certain days, it will be necessary to continue using diesel generated electricity. However, it is recommended that future work be done on projects to substitute the diesel currently used with a more environmentally friendly fuel.”
Project partners will formally dedicate the project at a celebration in the Galapagos March 18.
October 4, 2007
The San Cristobal Wind Project successfully completed its commissioning phase in September and has entered its Operational Phase on October 1, 2007. The wind turbines were erected in August 2007 and commissioned in September. After successfully completing functional and reliability testing, the units were considered ready for Operational Service. For the final two weeks in September, the wind turbines provided more than 50% of the islands electrical demand as final adjustments were made by the engineers to the system controls.
The Wind Project enters its Operational Phase during the high-wind season on the island. Its is expected that the wind turbines will provide between 60%-80% of the islands electrical demand throughout 4Q 2007.
The Wind Project has been registered as a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project under the Kyoto Protocol. The project will now receive Certified Emission Reduction (CER) credits for the diesel generator generation effectively reduced by the wind turbines
Construction activities are now complete on the wind project. The construction forces are demobilizing.
The San Cristobal Wind Project is being operated by EOLICSA S.A.
Luis Vintimilla is the General Manager.
Jose Moscoso is the Operational Manager
Jose Jara is the MADE Wind Turbine Representative
Both Mr. Moscoso and Mr. Jara reside on San Cristobal and are in charge of the operation and maintenance of the wind-diesel hybrid system
Start of post Construction Study of Birds(Petrel) and Bats Mortality
Field phase for the study of birds and bats mortality started on September 3th in the area where the wind turbines are located. Work began with the definition of the boundaries for the one hectare plots right under each one of the three wind turbines. Twenty transects were defined for each plot, part of which were located in a forested area, which was previously cleared particularly considering invasive plant species.
Marking with two-colored flagging was performed along the search transects for dead birds, to make work easier and to segregate pair numbered transects from odd numbered transects, particularly in vegetated areas. Transects were defined every three days in the study area.
In addition to that, a small dead terrestrial finch (Geospiza fuliginosa) was brought to the study area from the main road and was placed in one of the wind turbine areas to start dead birds permanence tests, as part of the study design.
The first Ecuadorian Wind Farm is a fact
A very important step that has been done in the execution of the San Cristobal Wind Project: the main equipment were transported to the San Cristobal Island, and the 3 support towers or more than 50 mts of height had been mounted. On Friday august 17 of 2007 it was finished the mechanical assembly of the 3 wind turbines and their auxiliary equipment.
The first Ecuadorian Wind Farm is a fact. For the risen of the towers and related equipment it was necessary a 230-tons crane capable of lifting up these kind of weight, which was transported from the continental territory. These activities were carried out without complications and following the scheduled time.
At present, internal test of the wind turbines are being developed and forward will be performed tests with electric charges and performance in hybrid mode with the existent diesel system. It is predicted that the facilities initiate their commercial operation in October of 2007.
Wind Towers and Construction Equipment arrive on San Cristobal
Santos-CMI’s [Constructor] ocean going barge arrived at San Cristobal Island on the morning of March 22. The large barge docked at the small pier extension built by the wind project at La Predial pier.
The barge was carrying the wind turbine towers, wind turbine anchor bolt cages, transport equipment, cranes, concrete mixer trucks, and many tons of cement for the wind turbines foundations. Over a period of several days, the barge was successfully unloaded and the equipment transferred to the wind project site in the highlands known as el Tropezon.
With the transport of the very large and lengthy wind tower sections through the narrow streets of the Puerto Baquerizo Moreno and El Progresso communities, the island residents could see very tangible progress on the soon to be completed wind project.
Wind Turbines Ready for Shipment in Spain
MADE of Spain, the wind turbine Supplier, has completed fabrication of the San Cristobal wind turbines and hybrid system equipment. The wind turbines were recently transported to the Spanish port of Ferrol at the end of March. A target date of April 9th was established for loading the equipment on a ship for transport to Guayaquil, Ecuador. From there, the wind turbines will be shipped to the Galapagos along with the large crane needed to assemble the wind turbines. They should arrive on San Cristobal approximately mid-June 2007.
January 22, 2007
The San Cristobal Wind Project reached a new milestone with the delivery of the first wind turbine components in Ecuador. The wind turbine towers and foundation anchor cages departed the port of Ferrol, Spain on January 6th and arrived in Guayaquil, Ecuador on January 22, 2007. The wind towers are approximately 50 meters in height and were shipped in two sections. The anchor cages are to be embedded in the concrete and connect the wind turbine towers to the large foundation.
On the island of San Cristobal in the Galapagos, Phase 1 construction activities are nearing completion with the construction of the road to the hill where the wind turbines will be located, installation of the first 3 km section of transmission line which is buried underground, and construction of the pier extension to facilitate off-loading the heavy equipment at Puerto Baquiezro Moreno, the port on San Cristobal.
In late February the wind towers and anchor cages, along with cement supplies, concrete mixer trucks, and a mobile concrete processing plant will be transported to San Cristobal as Phase II construction activities begin. Phase II construction activities start with the construction of the large foundation required to support the wind turbines. This is a large logistical challenge as the three wind turbine foundations are each 11 meters wide x 11 meters long, varying from 1.3 to 3.2 meters in depth. This corresponds to approximately 170 cubic yards of concrete per wind turbine. Rather than importing the aggregate and sand needed for the foundation construction, based on studies performed during the environmental assessment, these materials are being mined at a quarry located near the wind park to minimize the possibility of introduce species foreign to the island.
The foundations will be constructed in the March-April timeframe to support the installation of the wind turbine nacelles and blades that are scheduled to depart Spain in early April 2007.
STARTS FIELD ACTIVITIES
September 1st, 2006
The San Cristobal Wind Power Project, located in the Galapagos Islands, officially started its field activities on September 1st, 2006, with a public groundbreaking ceremony at Tropezon Hill on San Cristobal Island, the site where the wind farm will be installed. Main authorities of Ecuador’s energy sector participated in the groundbreaking ceremony, including delegates from the Ministry of Energy and Mines, Ministry of Environment, the National Electricity Council (CONELEC) and Fondo de Solidaridad; as well as local authorities, such as the Galapagos Governor and Prefect, the Mayor of San Cristobal Island, and other public and private island agencies.
With this ceremony, the Ecuadorian contractor for civil works and installation, Consorcio SANTOSCMI S.A., started the construction of access road, laydown area and pier improvement. The Wind Project has recently conducted community workshops to receive input from local organizations and citizens. Also, SANTOSCMI S.A. has coordinated with INGALA relating to the special laws of the Galapagos.
The project is a 2,400 kW wind farm that will provide energy to cover more than 50% of the island’s demand and will reduce the need for diesel fuel to be shipped to this World Heritage site. The wind farm will have three 800 kW wind generators, currently being manufactured by MADE Tecnologías Renovables from Spain, to be delivered on site by April 2007. The energy produced by the wind farm will be conducted by a 12 km, 13.2 kV transmission line to the grid owned by the local utility, the Provincial Electricity Company of Galápagos - Elecgalapagos S.A. - for hybrid operation with the existing diesel power plant. The whole project will be operational in late 2007 and will be the largest wind farm project in Ecuador.
The project is being implemented by the members of the e8, a group of 9 leading electricity companies from G8 nations, in partnership with Elecgalapagos, through the San Cristóbal Wind Project Joint Venture Trust. The e8 companies consider environmental conservation among their highest corporate priorities and are dedicated to the concept of sustainable development.
This US$ 10 million project is being financed through donations coming from the e8, the United Nations Foundation, the Ecuadorian Government and some private companies. The Ecuadorian Government will contribute to the project by providing funding from the Rural and Marginal Urban Electrification Fund (FERUM). Additional funds will be provided by income tax donations, channeled through the Municipality of San Cristóbal.
The San Cristobal Wind Project is one of the components of the program for Re-electrification of the Galapagos Islands with Renewable Energy, being conducted by the Ecuadorian Ministry of Energy and Mines, with the support of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
The project underwent a stringent environmental impact assessment and its management plan includes a series of measures to protect endangered species such as the Galapagos petrel and the plant Miconia robinsonia. Qualification under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol is currently under progress
“Point of Initiation and Full-Notice-to-Proceed Milestones Achieved”
As a risk mitigation tool, the San Cristobal Wind Project established the milestones of Point of Initiation and Full-Notice-to-Proceed. These milestones were related to the successful completion of critical final development activities before all funds could be released to the San Cristobal Wind Project Commercial Trust or before wind project construction activities could begin. These critical development activities included such issues as:
- Successful Completion of Feasibility Study Phase
- Committed funding available to complete the Wind Project construction and satisfy its financial obligations
- Receipt of Environmental License
- Receipt of Generating Permit
- Receipt of Land Easement for Wind Park site
- Receipt of FERUM subsidy funds from the Ecuadorian Government
- Resolution of Tariff Payment
- Elecgalapagos officially joining the Commercial Trust
The Trust Committee formally acknowledged by Resolution on May 12, 2006 that the Point of Initiation milestone had been reached. The Trustee, Fondos Pichincha, accepted the Resolution. The Trust Committee also authorized Full-Notice-to-Proceed be given to begin Project implementation. MADE in Spain has been authorized to immediately begin fabrication of the wind turbines. Constructor Santos-CMI is in the engineering phase and field construction activities are expected to begin shortly as an updated schedule and details of the transmission line and interconnection to the Elecgalapagos system are finalized.
Due to increased world-wide demand for wind turbines and a slight delay in reaching the Point of Initiation Milestone, the project Commercial Operation date is anticipated in September 2007, reflecting the latest forecast delivery date for the wind turbine equipment.
In preparation for the field construction activities, the Commercial Trust will now work with Walsh Environmental Scientists and Engineers of Quito to finalize planning of the Community Outreach Program intended engage the San Cristobal residents.
March, 2006
The San Cristobal Wind Project achieved a significant milestone as Elecgalapagos S.A. officially joined the San Cristobal Wind Project Commercial Trust. As Elecgalapagos joins the Trust, it becomes an equal partner with the e8 members. Ecuadorian FERUM subsidy funding approved for the project can now be transferred to Elecgalapagos S.A. and onto the Commercial Trust to pay for purchase of equipment and construction.
The Elecgalapagos adhesion process to the Commercial Trust was very detailed involving approval by the Elecgalapagos S.A. Board Members and its Shareholders. Additionally, in consideration of the public-private partnership nature of the Commercial Trust, the Commercial Trust constitution and agreements with Elecgalapagos S.A. underwent review by the Ecuadorian Attorney General and National Controller.
The Elecgalapagos Adhesion Contract was signed on March 21, 2006 at the Trustee Fondos Pichincha office.
From left to right: Wadih Daher (Elecgalapagos Board Member) , Luis C. Vintimilla (Local Project Manager of Wind Project), Roberto Montesinos (Elecgalapagos Board President and General Manager), Pablo Defina (Trustee Delegate), Jorge Jaramillo (Elecgalapagos Board Member), Lucía Tipán (Elecgalapagos Lawyer), José Fuertes (Elecgalapagos Financial Director).
“Planning and Technical workshop held with Elecgalapagos and San Cristobal Wind Project Team”
Workshop
February 14-15, 2006 – A project planning and technical workshop was held between the primary project participants, most directly involved with the construction and operation of the facility. The workshop was held in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on San Cristobal Island, Galapagos. Participants included the Commercial Trust’s Project Management Team, management and engineering staff of Elecgalapagos, MADE of Spain, Santos-CMI of Ecuador, and a representative of ERGAL. ERGAL, in consultation with UNDP, is undertaking the coordination of the various renewable energy projects in the Galapagos on behalf of the Ecuadorian government. ERGAL was invited to participate so that planning and “lessons learned” from the San Cristobal Project can be applied to the wind project proposed for Santa Cruz.
The first issue addressed during the workshop was the logistics involving unloading of the wind turbine components, 400 ton crane and other construction equipment needed to erect the wind turbines. On February 14th, the participants gathered at the proposed unloading area at the harbor, known as La Predial, discussing barge orientation, crane placement, harbor depth, coordination of port activities, and the access road requirements to the pier.
The group then walking through potential routes through the residential areas of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno identified the least impact route to the town and route that satisfied logistical needs of turning radius, road grade, utility installations, and traffic interruption. The direct discussions between the equipment manufacturer, constructor, and Elecgalapagos lead to identification of a solution deemed appropriate by all parties. Elecgalapagos was also able to advise on feasibility of temporary relocations of utility poles and service drops that could be needed to provide adequate clearance for the transport of large components.
After traversing the route through town, the participants then followed the route the approximate 13 km to the wind project site itself, Cerro El Tropezon. MADE representatives were satisfied with the planning and site orientation performed to date, indicating their strong approval of the site for wind orientation and construction logistics.
On February 15th, a technical workshop was conducted whereby MADE provided an overview on wind turbine technology, their model AE59 800 kW wind turbine, and hybrid wind-diesel system theory and operation. Other issues discussed and coordinated involved the proposed automation of the three existing 650 kW, transmission line routing and interface, and potential benefits of adding new, small diesel generator(s) with ratings in the 200-300kW range for better low load performance which is seen during the night-time hours.
The workshop allowed for better coordination between the participants, valuable feedback from Elecgalapagos, and a greater understanding of wind turbine and hybrid systems for the Elecgalapagos Staff.
January 10, 2006 Tuesday
A coordination meeting was held in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on San Cristobal Island, Galapagos with local stakeholders and the wind project team. Participants included members of the local governments, Elecgalapagos S.A., Galapagos National Park, and INGALA. The Mayor of San Cristobal, Lcdo. Pedro Zapata R., Provincial Prefect, Lcda. Fanny Uribe and Galapagos Governor, Lcda. Grace Unda, were in attendance and participated in the meetings discussions.
An overview of the project status, its legal structure, finances, and the physical characteristics of the San Cristobal Wind Project were presented. There were also presentations by Walsh Environmental Consultants involving the proposed Community Outreach Program, Petrel Protection Program, and other environmental programs to be conducted by the Wind Project. chick here to download the general presentation
Santos-CMI, the Ecuadorian company who will build the project, was also in attendance and answered questions on expected construction employment and required workers’ skills.
The wind project continued to receive strong support from the local community and government agencies.
The project team indicated that the wind project is ready is begin construction immediately pending final reviews and approvals by the Ecuadorian Government and Elecgalapagos S.A. formally joining the Commercial Trust [FIDEICOMISO MERCANTIL PROYECTO EÓLICO SAN CRISTÓBAL] established to build the wind project.
The coordination meeting participants were advised that construction activities are anticipated to begin 2Q 2006 with the wind turbines being installed 4Q 2006. The project should be fully operational in 1Q 2007.