The electric generator YPF Luz will start up the General Levalle Wind Farm, located in the south of the province of Córdoba. This project, which required an investment of over 260 million dollars, stands out for installing the largest wind turbines in Argentina, with a total capacity of 155 MW and unprecedented technology in the country.
After a year of construction and the commercial authorization by the Compañía Administradora del Mercado Mayorista Eléctrico (Cammesa), the park will start operating with 25 wind turbines, each with a power of 6.2 MW.
These structures, reaching a height of 204 meters, are equivalent to three times the size of the Buenos Aires Obelisk. Each installation involved the assembly of five tower sections, followed by the nacelle, the power train, the hub, and finally a set of 79-meter-long blades.
The entire park, equipped with Vestas technology, will generate enough energy to supply 190,000 homes, in addition to reducing 350,000 tons of CO2e per year, contributing significantly to mitigating environmental impact.
Expansion and new renewable energy projects
Founded in 2013, YPF Luz currently has more than 15 assets distributed in seven provinces and an installed capacity of 3.3 GW. Among its operational wind farms are Manantiales Behr (Chubut), Cañadón León (Santa Cruz), Los Teros (Buenos Aires), and now General Levalle. Its first solar park, El Zonda, is located in San Juan.
These developments are joined by new projects under construction:
- El Quemado, a photovoltaic solar park approved under the Large Investments Incentive Regime (RIGI).
- CASA, the first wind farm within a client’s premises, in this case Cementos Avellaneda, located in Olavarría.
The technical challenge of the General Levalle Wind Farm
The installation of the unprecedentedly large wind turbines required complex logistics, including the use of a special 600-ton crane, assisted by other smaller equipment to ensure safety during assembly. Factors such as wind and weather conditions were continuously monitored to optimize the installation.
The park consists of two stages:
- General Levalle I, with 62 MW and 10 wind turbines.
- General Levalle II, with 93 MW and 15 wind turbines.
To understand the magnitude of the project, it is worth noting that:
- The wind turbine blades are 79.35 meters long, exceeding the height of the Obelisk by 10 meters.
- The swept area of the turbines is 20,612 m², equivalent to four professional soccer fields.
- The height of the hub, the piece that connects the blades to the main shaft, is 125 meters, comparable to a 30 to 35-story building.
The park covers 4,360 hectares and involved an average of 200 workers in its construction, reaching 400 at peak times. A substation was also built to connect the park to the National Interconnected System through 66 kV and 132 kV lines, linked to the ET Levalle of EPEC.
Future goals: the target of the first renewable gigawatt
YPF Luz aims to increase its participation in the Renewable Energy Futures Market, where it currently leads with 26% market share. With its project portfolio, the company expects to reach its first gigawatt of renewable capacity in 2026, thanks to the completion of El Quemado and CASA, which will contribute an additional 368 MW.
These developments are aligned with YPF Luz’s diversification strategy, integrating natural gas as a key resource in the energy transition along with the expansion of solar and wind energy. In this regard, the company recently commissioned the Zonda Solar Park in San Juan, with an initial capacity of 100 MW, with plans to expand to 300 MW in total.
YPF Luz’s energy offer is complemented by its thermal power plants, including Loma Campana, Complejo Tucumán, Cogeneración La Plata, and Manantiales Behr, consolidating the country’s first hybrid park.
With these advancements, the company continues to strengthen its presence in the renewable energy sector and position itself as a key player in Argentina’s energy transition.
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