Enel plans 100MW-plus wind farm in Russia

Enel is due to take a final decision on whether to build a new 100MW-plus Russian wind farm pending the result of a forthcoming auction.

It has already had the project approved by authorities in Rostov and plans to spend RUB 10 billion (US$137 million) on the wind farm in the south-west of the country.

The developer is now waiting to see if it has been successful in an auction held by the NP Market Council, a Russian electricity trading regulator before making a final investment decision, an Enel spokesman told Windpower Monthly.

It has not confirmed what capacity the project would be, but could be 100-140MW, according to the Russian Vedomosti newspaper.

Roman Denisov, a senior analyst at the Russian Association of Wind Power (RAWI) told Windpower Monthly that Enel going to the competitive selection is a positive signal for the entire wind energy industry in Russia. While Enel has a small portfolio of wind energy projects in Russia compared to other players, its desire to build new projects can be regarded as a desire to strengthen its position, Denisov added.

However, as competition is increasing for wind power in Russia, company’s profit margins in the country are being squeezed, he added.