Wind farm environmental safeguards explained at community Q&A

Mainstream’s team in southern Chile seized an opportunity to showcase the benefits of renewable energy and its role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions during a community seminar on the environment last week.

Héctor Pereira, Project Manager of the Entre Ríos wind energy project in the Bío Bío region, travelled to the neighbouring town of Negrete to speak at the event that we co-hosted with the local council and wind energy developers WPD.

His presentation – “Clean energy, wind/solar and the company’s experience in Chile” – stirred plenty of interest among the audience of local students and residents, and drew questions about how Mainstream minimises the environmental impact of its wind farms in the area.

As well the 311 MW Entre Ríos project, which will host 69 turbines when it enters operation, Mainstream is developing the nearby 84 MW Alena Wind Farm as part of our Andes Renovables platform, and has been generating power at the neighbouring Cuel Wind Farm since February 2014.

The seminar, run with the support of waste management company Greenwalk and the Agricultural Secondary School of Negrete, also addressed the town’s rubbish problem, with plans to launch a new Municipal recycling programme later this year receiving positive feedback.

Watch the TV news item (in Spanish) from Zona Cero Canal below.