Enel Makes its Russian Debut: Granted Commercial Rights to Operate its First Wind Power Plant

Dubbed the Azovskaya wind power project, the 90MW plant is expected to cut down emissions by 2,60,000 tonnes annually

A view of turbines installed at Enel’s Azovskaya wind power project in Rostov, Russia, Credit: Enel Russia website

A view of turbines installed at Enel’s Azovskaya wind power project in Rostov, Russia, Credit: Enel Russia website

Enel Russia has been granted commercial rights to operate its first wind farm in Russia. Located in Azov, Rostov the 90MW onshore wind farm will generate approximately 320GWh energy generated by 26 wind turbines spread over 133 hectares. Once operational, the wind farm will enable Russia to cut down emissions of up to 2,60,000 tonnes every year.

Dubbed the Azovskaya wind power project, Enel built it at a cost of €132 million. Currently, the Administrator of the Trade System has allowed Enel Russia to sell wind energy from the plant to the Russian wholesale electricity market. Once the project complies with location requirements, Enel will begin to receive 100% payment for the wind plant’s capacity.

Stephane Zweguintzow, Managing Director of PJSC Enel Russia, said: “We are witnessing a historic moment for Enel Russia. The Azov wind farm, the Enel Group’s first wind farm in Russia, enables us to contribute to our strategy to develop renewable energy in the country. The start of the commercial operation of Azovskaya WPP is an important step for our company on the path of commercial transformation that guarantees a lower carbon footprint.”

Enel Russia is currently developing two other wind energy projects in Russia. One of the Kolskaya wind farm of 210MW in Murmansk and the other is the Rodnikovksya project of 71 MW in Stavropol. Overall amount of investment in three wind farms will amount to around 495 million euros, what underlines the strong commitment of Enel Russia to contribute into meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 12 (Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns) and SDG 13 (Climate action).

In comparison to Europe, Russia has been somewhat reluctant to move away from traditional energy sources such as coal. This is despite several reports from industry experts about the potential of the country to generate large amounts of energy from renewable sources. A senior analyst at Skolkovo Energy Centre, Yury Melnikov estimates this potential in terms of wind power alone at 17,000TWh.

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