Nordex bags turbine contract for Spanish repowering project

Turbine manufacturer Nordex Group has secured a new order from Grupo Enhol for the supply and installation of six N163/5.X wind turbines in Navarra, Spain.

The turbines will be used in the Caparroso repowering project which will have a final installed capacity of 34.2MW.

The project will see Grupo Enhol dismantle 42 turbines and install six new turbines of 5.7MW each, with 120-metre towers and 163-metre rotor diameters. The contract also includes a 20-year service agreement.

Towers, blades, and nacelles for the Caparroso project will be manufactured in Spain, while hubs and drive train components will be produced in Germany. Installation work is set to commence in July 2026, with commissioning expected by February 2027.

More on repowering: Why repowering wind farms is a win-win for companies and communities

The Caparroso project is one of four repowering projects Grupo Enhol is currently undertaking, all considered to be of strategic importance by the government of Navarre.

The other projects are the Serralta Wind Farm, involving dismantling 20 turbines and installing two new turbines of 7MW each; the San Gregorio Wind Farm, which will see 25 turbines dismantled and three new installed of 5MW each; and the La Bandera Wind Farm, comprising dismantling of 43 turbines and installing a new six of 5.7MW each

The four repowering projects are expected to take 14 months to complete and will have an expected lifespan of 30 years.

Wind farms have an average life span of 20-25 years. According to the Spanish Wind Energy Association, of the more than 27,000MW of wind power in Spain, around 20,000MW are more than 15 years old in 2025.

This makes repowering a priority, which is why the Spanish Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge has promoted the Circular Repowering programme. 

The programme plan aims to replace 1,205 old wind turbines with 167 next-gen turbines, thereby increasing installed capacity of obsolete wind farms.

Also of interest: Onshore wind sector ramps up AI investment to reduce risk