Wind Of Change: Is Russia To Grow Into A Wind Superpower?

The emerging megatrends in the global power balance are setting new game rules: now the countries fostering renewable energy infrastructure are most likely to ensure their self-sufficiency and sustainability in the future ahead. Russia, besides its immense reserves of fossil fuels, is eagerly transitioning to green energy sources. Namely, Russia’s wind power industry is developing in a rush with its biggest wind potential worldwide, leveraged by a robust government support.

According to the Russian President Vladimir Putin, the country is having vast wind-related opportunities to develop the power industry, particularly in specific regions, such as the Far East. There are enormous territories offering the wind potential to meet the demand of entire regions, which leads to believe that Russia will not be thrown off balance.

With installed wind power capacity totalling 99.91 MW, Russia has lately developed the wind generation support programme, which predicts the projected wind capacities at whooping 3600 MW across the country by 2024. In this context, unlocking investment increasingly gains attention and backup from both federal and regional authorities, as it is clearly obvious that the tremendous potential can be unleashed only through the favourable investment landscape and enhanced legal framework.

With colossal private and public investment involved, Russia runs a good number of ambitious investment projects to develop wind power parks throughout the country. To mention just a few of them:

The Shovgenovsk wind farm in the republic of Adygea is under construction by Rosatom’s subsidiary VetroOGK. The projected capacity totals 150 MW, with 60 state-of-the-art wind power units expected to be installed after all. The wind farm will be built in three phases, as of 32 MW, 70 MW, and 48 MW correspondingly. The WPU components, based on Lagerwey technologies, are to be manufactured on the premises of Rosatom’s Atommash in Volgodonsk, the Rostov region. The maximum project investment is estimated at 20bn RUB. The commissioning of the wind farm is scheduled for 2019.

Another wind farm is to appear in the Kaliningrad region, 20 km away from Kaliningrad. The Kaliningrad WPP will serve to supply electricity to industrial and private consumers of the region at large. With a total of 200 MW capacity, the first phase with a rated capacity at 80 MW is scheduled for commissioning in 2025. Commissioning of the second phase as of 120 MW is scheduled for 2030.

The Kurgan region also expects to host a wind power facility. Sowitec intends to accomplish the construction of the Kurgan onshore wind farm in the suburbs of Kushma village by 2022. The site area totals 20.5 ha. The main reason to select this site is a great wind potential and favourable economic and geographical location. As follows from the project design, the Kurgan WPP will comprise 16-20 wind generators with a capacity of 2.5 to 3 MW each. With overall wind farm capacity estimated at 50 MW, the project is valued at about 6.5bn RUB.

To learn more or receive a full list of Russian investment wind power projects, please follow the link http://www.windrussiaconference.com/en/facts-and-figures/

Contact: Daria Kvasnitsyna, +44 207 394 30 90, dkvasnitsyna@vostockcapital.com