The Government of Portugal has granted final environmental approval to Spanish renewable energy company Iberdrola for the construction of a 274 MW wind farm that will be integrated into the Tâmega hydroelectric complex. This project will be the nation’s largest hybrid energy project and the first to combine wind and hydropower.
Iberdrola intends to start building the wind farm in early 2025 after obtaining all necessary permits. According to the company, the Tâmega Eólico facility, located in the northwest Braga district close to the town of Vila Real, should be able to generate enough electricity to power 128,000 households.
In early 2025, construction is anticipated to begin on the wind farm.
According to Iberdrola, combining the two technologies will greatly lessen reliance on fluctuating environmental factors and constraints brought on by potential resource shortages, such as wind, and will enable more reliable and effective renewable energy production without taxing the electrical grid.
It further stated that there will be a far smaller environmental impact than with two separate plants because the land that was previously utilized for renewable energy generation and the two systems will share the necessary roads and facilities for operation.
With a capacity of 1,158 MW, the Tâmega hydroelectric complex
According to Iberdrola’s website, the Tâmega hydroelectric complex, which has an installed capacity of 1,158 MW and a total investment of over EUR 1.5 billion, is one of the largest energy projects in Portugal’s history. It consists of the 880 MW Gouvíes pumped storage system.
Wind and hydropower combined is planned in Greece and Turkey.
On the Greek island of Crete, a hybrid power project akin to this one is currently under development. Terna Energy was granted strategic investment status two years ago for its proposed wind farm and pumped storage hydropower system in the Crete region of Amari.
The Turkish company Cengiz Enerji announced in late 2021 that it was gathering wind data near its hydro-solar hybrid power plant Lower Kaleköy in order to expand the facility’s energy sources.
