RWE has announced its final investment decision for the Muel repowering project, located in the Aragon region near Zaragoza, Spain. The project will involve the replacement of 27 existing wind turbines with three modern, high-capacity turbines, aimed at increasing the wind farm's energy output.
The existing turbines, which have been in operation for 26 years, will be dismantled and replaced with three 6.6MW turbines, bringing the total installed capacity to 19.8MW, up from the previous 16.2MW. Construction is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2025, with the project expected to be fully operational by the end of 2025. A power purchase agreement (PPA) for the project has already been secured with an undisclosed offtaker.
Katja Wünschel, CEO of RWE Renewables Europe & Australia, noted the importance of such projects for Spain's energy landscape. “The need for onshore wind repowering in Spain is significant given the country's huge wind energy capacity and the ageing infrastructure at many wind farms,” Wünschel said. “Repowering these facilities could significantly increase energy output while reducing the land footprint.
The project has received funding through the European Union's Recovery and Resilience Facility, part of the EU's NextGenerationEU initiative, designed to support sustainable energy and infrastructure development across the continent.
Spain is expected to install around 20GW of onshore wind capacity with an operating life of over 20 years by 2030, further highlighting the role of repowering in the country's renewable energy expansion.
