Elnos to construct grid connection for wind farm Vetrozelena in Serbia

Elnos Group will build a connection to the transmission grid for the 300 MW Vetrozelena wind farm near the city of Pančevo in Serbia.

Vetrozelena is the largest wind power plant under construction in Serbia. The largest existing one is Čibuk 1, with a capacity of 158 MW. It has been producing electricity since October 2019.

Elnos Group is headquartered in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The company said it celebrated its 30th anniversary of modern business operations by signing a contract with the Power China Construction Group to build the largest wind farm in the Balkans.

Elnos will construct the entire infrastructure for connecting the facility to the transmission system

Elnos Serbia has signed an EPC contract with Sinohydro, a subsidiary of Power China Construction Group, for the construction of the Vetrozelena wind farm, the largest single wind project in the Balkans, with a total capacity of 300 MW, according to the update.

The wind farm would comprise 48 turbines with a capacity of 6.25 MW each.

Of note, the region hosts another major wind project – in July, the construction of a 400 MW wind farm kicked off in North Macedonia.

Elnos Serbia, member of Elnos Group, is undertaking the construction of the complete connection to the transmission system operated by Serbia’s transmission system operator (TSO) Elektromreža Srbije (EMS).

The project includes the construction of a 35/400 kV substation with four transformers of 90 MVA each, a 400 kV switchyard with six fields, a 7.5-kilometer 400 kV dual-system power line, as well as the infrastructure upgrade of the distribution grid and telecommunications network.

Ćulibrk: We will successfully complete the project within the contracted timeframe

This is another contract concluded on an EPC basis under which Elnos Serbia is handling the complete engineering, design, construction of facilities, procurement and installation of equipment, connection to the grid, testing, and commissioning.

“The expertise and dedication of our engineers, technicians, and installers, our comprehensive knowledge and extensive experience on similar projects, along with the company’s financial and organizational stability, give us confidence that we will successfully complete this project within the contracted deadlines,” Elnos Serbia CEO Predrag Ćulibrk underscored.

The project was developed by CWP

The Vetrozelena project was developed by CWP Europe. It is also one of the projects that won the government support in Serbia’s first auctions. However, in April 2023, the company signed an investment contract for the wind farm with PowerChina Resources.

The Chinese company acquired 51% of the project while the remainder stayed in ownership of CWP Europe. PowerChina Resources is PowerChina Group’s overseas investment platform.

The next step in the project’s development occurred in November. Vetrozelena and power utility Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS) signed agreements on the electricity offtake, balancing services, and market premiums.