| ©ICIS HEREN - Romania to host largest wind farm |
| 2010-04-28 |
| Iberdrola Renovables is to build the world's largest wind complex in Romania, set to supply nearly 1m households. The Spanish renewables giant has been granted a licence by the Romanian transmission system operator Transelectrica to connect 1.5GW of power to the grid within the next seven years. When completed in 2017, the combined capacity of the 50 wind farms in the southern region of Dobrogea, will be higher than that of the two 700MW nuclear reactors at the nearby Cernavoda site. "The licence will pave the way for the company to roll out its DOBRUJA PROJECT, the most ambitious wind-power project of its kind developed in the world to date one that will witness the start-up of 50 wind farms in the region of Dobruja, in southeastern Romania," according to a statement released by Iberdrola Renovables. The company intends to begin construction this year on its first wind facility in Romania. The 80MW Mihai Viteazu farm does not fall within the new power concession granted by the Romanian government, but will also be located in the region of Dobruja. It is expected to be operational by January. In a separate investment, Petrom, Romania's largest oil and gas company, has said it would develop a �100m wind farm in Dobrogea by 2011. The 45MW unit is relatively small, but analysts quoted in the local press speculate that the company is looking to further diversify its energy sources. According to local reports, Romania has the highest wind potential in southeastern Europe, with 14,000MW, but of these there was only 15MW installed at the end of last year (see EDEM 31 December 2009). The country is, however, on course for change, as the Czech incumbent CEZ looks set to roll out 139 turbines later this year. The CEZ-operated Fantanele-Cogealac complex in Dobrogea will have a combined capacity of 600MW when completed in 2011. Wind farms could contribute 13GW to the national grid by 2020, with investments estimated at �4.15bn, according to a study by the Romanian Energy Institute. (THE ICIS HEREN REPORTS - EDEM 14.076 / 21 April 2010) |
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