Italian renewable energy company Enel Green Power has broken ground on the 201MW Kolskaya wind project in Russia, which will come up in the Murmansk region with a total investment of nearly €273 million.

The Kolskaya wind farm, owned by Enel Russia, is said to be the largest wind project presently under construction beyond the Arctic Circle.

To be equipped with 57 turbines, the Kolskaya wind project is scheduled to begin operations by the end of 2021. The Russian wind farm will have an estimated total power generation of about 750GWh per year while offsetting nearly 600,000 tons of carbon emissions per year.

Enel Russia bagged the Kolskaya wind project in the 2017 Russian government tender for the construction of 1,900MW of wind capacity across Russia. Included in this is the 90MW Azov wind farm, which is currently under construction and scheduled to be commissioned at the end of next year.

Commenting on the Kolskaya wind project, Antonio Cammisecra – Head of Enel Green Power said: “Kolskaya is our northernmost project, part of a global portfolio that now goes from beyond the Arctic Circle to the southernmost areas of Africa and that circles the world east to west from Australia to the western United States, under the most diverse and challenging climate conditions.

“Through the opening of this second construction site in Russia, we are taking the next step in the strengthening of our renewable portfolio in this country. Looking ahead, we are committed to scouting for further renewable opportunities in Russia while continuing to build and develop our current projects, leveraging on our strong presence and expertise in the area to progressively build a truly low-carbon footprint in Russia.”

Apart from the Kolskaya wind project and the Azov wind farm, Enel Russia was awarded the 71MW Rodnikovsky wind farm in June 2019. The Rodnikovsky wind farm to be built in the Stavropol region is expected to begin operations in H1 2024.

Enel Green Power is responsible for the development and construction of all the three Russian wind farms.

Enel Russia’s investment in the three Russian wind projects altogether totals to nearly €495 million.

  Antonio Cammisecra, Enel, Enel Green Power, Enel Russia, Kolskaya wind farm, Murmansk, Russia