Italy’s Enel Starts Building Azov Wind Farm

Italian energy company Enel Green Power has begun construction of a 90-MegaWatt (MW) Azov wind farm, located in the Rostov region of Southern Russia, Renewable Energy World reported.

The wind farm, which EGP says is the Rostov region’s first renewable facility, is owned by subsidiary Enel Russia. EGP is in charge of construction activities after having completed the development stage. The cornerstone laying ceremony for the Azov wind farm, on Thursday, was attended by Enel Russia General Director Carlo Palasciano Villamagna, the Governor of the Rostov Region Vasiliy Golubev, and Italian Ambassador to Russia Pasquale Terracciano.

The wind facility will consist of 26 turbines spread across 133 hectares. Enel Russia’s investment in the Azov wind farm amounts to about $147.4 million. The project is expected to enter into service by the end of 2020 and will be able to generate about 320 GWh of clean energy each year once fully operational, avoiding the annual emission of about 260,000 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere, EGP says.

Enel Russia was awarded the Azov wind farm, along with the 201-MW Murmansk wind farm, in the 2017 Russian government tender for the construction of 1.9 GW of wind capacity in the country. EGP is in charge of the development and construction of both projects. Enel Russia’s investment in the Murmansk wind farm amounts to about $304.8 million.

“With this new wind project, we are embarking upon our journey towards the creation of a renewable footprint in Russia,” said Antonio Cammisecra, Global Head of Enel Green Power.  “We are looking forward to producing energy with both our Russian wind farms, and we will continue scouting for new opportunities in this renewables-rich country. Moving ahead, we plan to further leverage on this wealth of resources and keep on fuelling Russia’s economy through an increasingly diversified generation mix.”

Enel Russia is a power generation company, controlled by Enel, that operates four thermal power plants in the Russian Federation with a total installed capacity of about 9.5 GW.