Uruguay Expects to Nearly Triple Wind Power In Two Years, Become South American Leader

摘要

Uruguay expects to almost triple its use of wind power as investors plow $2.6 billion into installing more turbines. The goal is to generate as much as 38 percent of its power from wind by the end of 2017, up from about 13 percent now, cementing Uruguay's position as South America's top wind-energy user, according to Gonzalo Casaravilla, chairman of the state-owned electric utility UTE. That would put Uruguay in the same league as Denmark, the global wind energy trailblazer that got 43 percent of its power from wind in 2014. The country of 3.3 million is embracing wind because it offers low operating costs and as a hedge against drought, which reduces power from hydroelectric dams and in the past has forced it to fall back on fossil fuels.