Russia set to have first and biggest Arctic wind farm in port city of Murmansk

/ Renewables / Thursday, 21 October 2021 07:28

Russia’s first and biggest Arctic wind farm --the Kolskaya Wind Farm is expected to starts production in mid-2022. According to project developer Enel Russia, the park is to start production in May 2022. Development started in 2017 and construction was launched in September 2019 in Murmansk, a port city in northwest Russia.

According to regional authorities, 20 of the projected 57 turbines are already standing on the windy stretches of the city. Blasting works were conducted through October in order to prepare for the building of the remaining installations.

Up to 750 GWh per year of power will be generated in the park, which will add surplus energy to the power-rich Russian region. The Kolskaya Wind Farm will have a capacity 201 MW. It is built on a 257-hectare area near the Barents Sea coast.

According to company annual report, In July 2020, Enel terminated a contract with construction company Kantreva and instead hired a local company. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic also slowed progress as company employees as well as subcontractor employees fell ill. It also became difficult to get foreign experts and project staff into Russia. Production launch was originally set for 2021

Regional authorities have branded it as a key strategic investment project.

“Green energy and the constriction of the biggest wind power project north of the Polar Circle is of big importance. It is not only because of the investments that are estimated to 23 billion rubles, but also because of the modern technology,” said Murmansk Governor Andrei Chibis in a statement.

According to Chibis and his administration, the renewable power produced at the park can ultimately be used for the generation of green hydrogen and become the core in a new regional tech industry.

It will be one of the biggest wind parks in Russia and one of the biggest in the world north of the Arctic Circle.

The Kolskaya Wind Farm will provide additional power to the Northwest Russian region that from before is a major producer of electricity.  Murmansk Oblast today produces about 60 percent of its energy from nuclear power and the remaining 40 percent from hydropower. However, there have been criticisms going around that the far northern region in reality does not need the additional power generating capacities, according to local news agencies.

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