RWE deploys innovative foundations to support first turbines on Rea onshore wind farm in Spain

• RWE uses resource-saving “Soft-Spot®” foundations for the first time
• First of nine wind turbines under construction
• Wind farm to be commissioned during winter of 2022: Suppling 30,000 Spanish households with green electricity

Katja Wünschel, CEO Onshore Wind and Solar Europe & Australia, RWE Renewables: "Construction on our 17th wind farm in Spain is progressing well and we are on schedule. We want to connect Rea Unificado to the grid later this year to support the country in its energy transition. Rea is the first RWE wind farm where we are erecting our wind turbines on innovative ‚Soft-Spot® foundations‘. They allow us to significantly reduce both construction costs and CO2 emissions while increasing stability."

In the north-east of Spain, in Soria, RWE is constructing its 40.8-megawatt Rea Unificado wind farm. The company is erecting nine turbines with a rated output of 4.53 megawatts each – by far the largest and most powerful in its Spanish fleet. After commissioning, Rea Unificado will be able to supply 30,000 Spanish households with green electricity.

In its 17th Spanish onshore project, RWE has used ‚Soft-Spot® foundations‘ for the first time. Reinforced concrete spread foundations are used and placed on an EPS layer – an insulating material made of expanded polystyrene. Instead of transferring the loads to the subsoil, the EPS redistributes them to a donut-shaped surface. This increases stability and reduces the diameter of the foundation slabs and volume of the concrete used.

“I would like to thank our development and construction teams for making this innovation in Rea possible. We have been able to significantly reduce our construction effort and material costs and save several tonnes of CO₂. Now we are entering the next, decisive construction phase and will successively erect all nine turbines,” explains Robert Navarro, President and CEO RWE Renewables Iberia.

“GES is delighted to support RWE in this new milestone. As an engineering and construction company, GES always applies the most suitable architectural and engineering solutions for the project. Therefore, GES‘ proposal to RWE for Rea Unificado wind farm was the implementation of a soft spot foundation model, which optimises the consumption of concrete and steel, making the project more cost-effective and environmentally more sustainable. GES is excited to be able to collaborate with RWE in future challenges like this one”, Alfonso Rey, Wind Project Construction Manager at GES, explains.

The Rea Unificado wind farm is scheduled to be fully operational by the end of the year. Furthermore, RWE is currently constructing two Spanish solar parks with a total capacity of 88 megawatts.

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