Ukraine to complete the largest wind farm in Eastern Europe: what is known about the ambitious project
The construction of a powerful wind farm during a full-scale war is the first time in history
DTEK Group and Vestas, a global wind turbine manufacturer, have agreed to start construction of the second phase of the Tiligul wind farm in Mykolaiv region. This grandiose facility will be able to supply electricity to 900,000 households upon completion.
This is stated on DTEK’s official website.
The memorandum was signed on December 4 at the UN Climate Conference COP28. The construction project is supported by the European Commission, as well as the governments of Ukraine and Denmark. The document stipulates that Vestas will supply the components required to complete the second stage of the wind farm.
It is known that it will include 64 wind turbines with a capacity of 6 MW each. In total, 83 wind turbines will ensure the operation of the Tiligul wind farm, which will be able to generate about 1.7 TWh of electricity annually. This is enough to provide electricity to almost 1 million households. This is a great help to the overall power system, especially in times of war.
“Tiligul wind farm will significantly increase the resilience of the power system, help strengthen the country’s energy security and make Ukraine a regional leader in decarbonization and an energy hub in Europe,” said DTEK CEO Maxim Timchenko.
The amount of investments in the second phase is EUR 450 million. These funds will come from the company and leading foreign financial institutions under state guarantees. As for the timeline, construction is scheduled to begin in Q2 2024 and be completed by the end of 2025.
However, the gradual connection of already installed wind turbines will take place earlier – in the last months of 2024. The project will not only increase generation in Ukraine’s energy system, but also reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1.7 million tons annually.
Interestingly, the construction and launch of such a facility as a wind farm in a time of war is the first such case in history.
How Ukraine protects energy facilities from missiles and drones
To prevent Russian attempts to damage or destroy energy infrastructure facilities, the government of Ukraine and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have developed design solutions for protection. They were also coordinated with the SES leadership to counter the enemy as effectively as possible.
There are three levels of protection, which consist of:
- construction of gabions and big bags;
- of concrete structures from drone and shaheed attacks;
- defense against direct missile attacks.
Of course, the development and implementation of solutions cannot be done without cooperation with Ukrenergo. The company’s specialists help to formulate tasks for the design and construction of protective elements. Thanks to the smoothing work, we have already managed to surround 22 substations and 63 autotransformers in 14 regions of Ukraine with protective structures.
