SunEdison and Gamesa partner to develop 1 GW of wind projects

SunEdison, Inc. and Gamesa have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to create a joint venture to develop up to 1 GW of wind energy power plants globally by 2018. SunEdison and Gamesa will each own a 50 percent stake in the joint venture.

Under the terms of the agreement, Gamesa will supply the wind turbines and be responsible for operation and maintenance (O&M) of the wind power plants as part of long term O&M agreements. Gamesa may also provide engineering, procurement, and construction services for the projects.

Ownership of the projects will be shared during development; upon construction SunEdison will acquire the projects from the joint venture. SunEdison will purchase additional wind turbines from Gamesa, based upon development volume targets achieved by the joint venture.

Paul Gaynor, SunEdison executive vice president of the Americas and EMEA, stated:

"This agreement will accelerate SunEdison's drive to respond to rapid growth in global wind markets. By partnering with Gamesa, one of the world's leading wind technology and development companies, we're particularly well positioned to capture the opportunity in India and Mexico, two regions where we already have a strong solar presence."

Xabier Etxeberria, Gamesa's chief executive officer, commented:

"This alliance with SunEdison falls under the umbrella of our new Technology Development Programme, within the 2015-2017 Business Plan, and will enable Gamesa to make the most of its technical and management experience, further reinforcing our position as a leading developer. The combination of both companies' strengths would also unlock synergies and maximise project returns."

SunEdison intends to place the power plants acquired from the joint venture that are in TerraForm Power's target markets on the call rights list for the company. It is expected that the definitive agreement, including the initial selection of projects for development from Gamesa's pipeline, will be signed by the end of 2015.

Through the last week we have reported on several wind deals globally:

• KumBro Vind AB acquires 12MW Ryssbol wind farm - Switzerland
• Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan acquires stake in BluEarth Renewables - Canada
• Atlantic Power sells 521 MW of Wind Power Plants - USA
• Cielo Wind Power sells 200 MW Salt Fork Wind project - USA
• TRIG acquires stake in Fred. Olsen’s UK wind portfolio - UK
• Pattern Energy Acquires a 33% Interest in 270 MW K2 wind farm - Canada