Enefit Green is going to build its largest wind farm in Lithuania
Enefit Green, the largest wind energy producer in the Baltics, has made an investment decision to build another wind farm in Lithuania. The Akmene Wind Farm with a capacity of 75 megawatts (MW) and 14 wind turbines will be Enefit Green’s largest to date and will be completed by the end of 2023. In June, the company announced the construction of the Šilale II Wind Farm in Lithuania that will be completed by the beginning of 2023.
The recent investment decision for the Akmene Wind Farm will allow Enefit Green to continue implementing its ambitious growth plan and increase its wind power production. The project involves the installation of 14 wind turbines with nominal capacities of 5.3 and 5.5 megawatts (MW). The total cost of the investment will be approximately 85 million euros. The annual forecasted output of the wind farm will be approximately 258 gigawatt-hours (GWh), i.e. about a fifth of the company's current annual wind electricity production. It will cover the annual electricity needs of about 80,000 homes.
Aavo Kärmas, Chairman of the Management Board of Enefit Green, said that he was very pleased to reach another big step in the production of green electricity in the form of the investment decision for the Akmene Wind Farm. “Renewable electricity is the fastest way to achieve carbon neutrality, and wind and solar energy are the renewable energy sources in the Baltic region with the highest potential. Thanks to the new wind farms to be constructed, Enefit Green will contribute to the meeting of national climate targets and to a significant increase in the share of wind energy production in this region. In addition, it allows us to provide Eesti Energia customers with even more green electricity,” Kärmas commented.
Similar to the Šilale II Wind Farm project, Enefit Green has signed contracts for the construction of the Akmene Wind Farm with the international wind turbine manufacturer GE Renewable Energy and with the construction company Merko. Experienced partners were found through procurement.
The total capacity of the wind farms currently owned by Enefit Green is 398 MW and they generate almost 1.1 terawatt-hours of electricity per year. This March, the company announced that it expects to complete the 20 MW wind farm in Purtse, Ida-Virumaa, by 2023. In addition, in June the company announced the construction of the 43 MW Šilale II Wind Farm in Lithuania that is expected to be completed by the beginning of 2023. The implementation of Enefit Green's development projects supports the strategy of Eesti Energia to gradually switch to carbon-neutral electricity production.
Enefit Green, subsidiary of Eesti Energia, is one of the leading and most versatile renewable energy producers in the Baltic Sea region. The company owns a total of 22 wind farms, 4 CHP plants, 38 solar power plants, a pellet plant and a hydroelectric power plant, all located in four markets – Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. The company produced a total of 1.35 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity in 2020. Enefit Green has set a goal to grow into the largest renewable energy company in the region.