Danish sustainable energy company Vestas Wind Systems A/S announced this week an agreement with Argentinian aluminum company Aluar Aluminio Argentino SAIC to supply wind power to the Aluar aluminum smelter in Puerto Madryn, in east-central Argentina.

Vestas will supply power to Aluar from its Llano IV wind farm, which has a nameplate capacity of 81 MW. The parties have also agreed to a 20-year Active Output Management 5000 (AOM 5000) service contract, which will optimize power generation in addition to long-term business case certainty.

The aluminum smelter to which Vestas will supply electricity is the largest aluminum smelter in Argentina. This agreement will help Alumar comply with the Argentine government’s mandate that large electricity users must meet a portion of their electricity needs from renewable sources.

Andrés Gismondi, senior sales manager for Vestas LATAM South Cone, said in a press release that the agreement will benefit both companies.

“Vestas is delighted to expand its partnership with Aluar, one of the largest aluminum smelters in South America, which, as Vestas, is strongly committed to Argentina’s energy transition. This order materializes the third extension of the El Llano wind complex which will soon have a total of 246 MW of sustainable energy from Vestas turbines to supply Aluar’s aluminum smelting facilities in Puerto Madryn. This underscores how Vestas solutions can help energy-intensive industries accelerate their energy transition by powering their operations with cost-effective and sustainable energy.

The El Llano wind complex is currently under construction. Vestas says the turbines are expected to be delivered by the end of the year, with commissioning scheduled for the second half of 2023.