By Swann Bigot, legal expert and consultant in international affairs, for Eurasia Network – April 25, 2017

Wind power mountains

Wind farm in mountains – Source : pixabay

A 150 MW wind farm will be built by 2019 in the Russian Caucasus by Rosatom and Lagerwey, the Dutch manufacturer of wind turbines. This will be the largest wind power facility ever built in Russia. The investment is estimated at $ 214 million. Installation works of 60 wind turbines and equipment will start in December 2018 while the entry into service is planned in 2019. The experience gained in this project will be used in other regions of Russia. 

The first phase of a 150 MW wind farm project began in the Republic of Adygea (Республика Адыгея), northwestern Caucasus. The several stages of this ambitious renewable energy project were discussed during a meeting of the local government on April 19th. It will be the largest wind farm ever built in Russia. The investment is estimated at $ 214 million, according to Aleksandr Korchagin, the general director of JSC OTEK (a subsidiary of Rosatom), who has met Vyacheslav Sapiyev, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic.[1]

The installation works would start in December 2018. The wind power plant will be made of 60 wind turbines located in the Shovgenovsky and Giaginsky districts (Шовгеновский район и Гиагиинский район). Construction works are expected to be achieved by 2019.

According to the results of measurements, the region has good potential with an average annual wind speed of 6.2 m/s. A foreign company will play a major role in this energy project. Indeed, Rosatom approved last January a partnership between its subsidiary JSC OTEK and the company Lagerwey, the Dutch manufacturer of wind turbines, which will be engaged in design, construction and operation activities. A total of 24 companies took part in the competitive selection.

According to JSC OTEK, 65% of the production will be located in Russia.

In 2017, both organizations would create a joint venture with equal shares to conduct the 150 MW wind farm project.[2]

Three or four manufacture plants of wind farm equipment will be created on the Russian territory. One of these plants will open on the territory of “Atommash” manufacture in Volgodonsk, a city located in the Rostov region, reported TASS news agency. In addition, the Dutch company will create the infrastructure and training of personnel, according to Aleksandr Korchagin.

Read also : German company builds a 90 MW wind farm in southern Russia

It was earlier reported that this 150 MW wind power plant will be built in three lines with a capacity of 32 MW, 70 MW and 48 MW respectively. The plant will include 60 wind turbines, each with a capacity of 2.5-3.5 MW. Electricity supply into the local power network would depend on the wind schedule.

The expected service life of the wind power plant is not less than 20 years and the power coefficient would be at least 27% reported Ria Novosti.

Covering growing energy needs

According to Vyacheslav Sapiyev, the construction of the 150 MW wind farm will contribute to stimulate the development of renewable energy industry in Russia and will enable the region to cover a greater part of its energy needs.

The annual electricity consumption of the Republic of Adygea amounts to 1,4 TW/h, while about 8-10% of this volume is covered by local power generation.[3]

Moreover, this project will create new jobs and new budget resources. Therefore, the local authorities support it and announced that they will take the necessary measures to resolve all emerging issues.

Aleksandr Korchagin also stressed that the gained experience from this wind farm project will be used in other regions of Russia to conduct new renewable energy programs.

Read also : Ulyanovsk region will host 1 GW wind power capacity by 2024

The Minister of economic development and trade of the Republic of Adygea Oleg Toporov, the adviser of the general director of JSC OTEK Mikhail Banov, senior managers of JSC VetroOGK (subsidiary of JSC OTEK, founded in 2011) and officials from local administration bodies also attended the discussions held on April 19th.

Note that JSC VetroOGK won a tender held in 2016 to build wind farms with a total capacity of 610 MW.  The first wind power facilities would appear in Southern Russia: in the Republic of Adygea (150 MW) and in the Krasnodar Krai (460 MW).

That represents near 17% of the official target of 3,6 GW wind power capacity by 2024.[4]

Several wind energy projects in Russia

The past 12 months have seen many wind farm projects launched and implemented across Russia.

Indeed, a 60 MW wind farm project in the Republic of Karelia was announced last November. In addition, the construction of a 35 MW wind farm began last December in the Ulyanovsk region while local authorities announced their decision to reach 1 GW of wind power capacity by 2024. Furthermore, the construction of a 90 MW wind farm in the Rostov region will start this year. Finally, a 200 MW wind farm would be built in the Mourmansk region by 2019.

Foreign companies from Finland, Germany, the Netherlands and China take part in this renewable energy expansion in a country traditionally known for its oil and gas resources.

Important investments have been announced to develop the sector. The chairman of the board of Rusnano, Anatoly Chubais, stated last November that the state corporation plans to create two consortiums with Russian and international investors to implement projects of wind power plants in Russia. According to him, Rusnano intends to invest more than $ 178 million (RUB 10 billion) to develop wind power in the country.

During the Krasnoyarsk Economic Forum held on 20-22 April 2017, Arkady Dvorkovich, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, stated that the federal government is following the renewable energy issue but is waiting for technologies to become cheaper.

The Republic of Adygea is a subject of the Russian Federation, located in northwestern Caucasus. Its territory is enclaved in the Krasnodar krai. The population of the Republic was estimated to be 451 500 in January 2016.[5] The capital city is Maykop.

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© Copyright 2017 – Swann Bigot, legal expert and consultant in international affairs.

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Sources : 

[1] « Первый в стране мощный ветропарк построят в Адыгее », 19.04.2017, Republic of Adygea : http://www.adygheya.ru/press-room/news/pervyy-v-strane-moshchnyy-vetropark-postroyat-v-adygee/ ;

[2] Ibid ;

[3] Ibid ;

[4] « В Адыгее построят ветропарк суммарной мощностью до 150 МВт », Риа Новости, 20.04.2017 : https://ria.ru/economy/20170420/1492677248.html ;

[5] http://www.adygheya.ru/about/population/