Nala Renewables breaks ground on Green Breeze wind park in Romania

Nala Renewables inaugurated the construction of its Green Breeze wind farm in eastern Romania. Some of the 16 turbines could come online already next year.

The solar power boom in Romania is reaching new heights, but investors in wind farm projects are catching up. Following its acquisition of the Green Breeze project in August, Nala Renewables marked the start of construction of the wind farm. Most of the site is in Cuca commune in Galați county in the region of Western Moldavia.

The wind power plant in eastern Romania is planned to consist of 16 V162-6.2 MW turbines manufactured by Vestas. The company said it expects to start commissioning them next year.

“We are delighted to mark this important milestone for one of Nala’s largest projects to date. We will be overviewing the construction and operation of this large 99.2 MW onshore wind park through our active construction and asset management teams. Romania is one of Nala’s core markets with a solid outlook for renewables and an investment-grade rated country with strong government support for renewables,” Chief Operating Officer Remy Verot said.

He added Nala Renewables would continue the momentum in the coming months in Romania and the broader Central and Eastern European region.

OX2 stayed on board

Developer OX2 remained on board for technical and commercial management. The Sweden-based company is tasked with operating the Green Breeze. The project highlights the successful collaboration with central and local authorities, according to its Country Manager Lăcrămioara Diaconu-Pințea.

The forecasted annual output is 312 GWh. It is equivalent to the electricity consumption of 51,000 Romanian households.

Nala Renewables claimed that Green Breeze would lower carbon dioxide emissions by 150,000 tons per year, per the United Nations Climate Change IFI Default Grid Factors. IFI stands for international financial institutions.

The project has secured access to the grid in March 2023 via the country’s transmission system operator Transelectrica. The takeover included a 12-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with an unnamed multinational corporation. It covers a significant part of the facility’s production.

Contractors secured

CJR Renewables is carrying out the construction works and building the medium voltage network infrastructure. The Enevo Group – Siemens Energy consortium is responsible for the installation of a 110 kV line.

The project was developed together with Kompact Grid. It is providing OX2 technical support in the construction phase together with Bilfinger Tebodin.

Banca Comercială Română and Erste Group have provided a total of EUR 214 million in lending for the Green Breeze.

OX2 entered the Romanian market in 2021. The company has a portfolio of 50 GW in development, construction and operation. It is active in onshore and offshore wind energy, photovoltaics and storage, including hydrogen.

Headquartered in Stockholm, the company is owned by EQT, one of the world’s largest private equity investors.

Green Breeze is part of Nala Renewables’s 4 GW global project pipeline due for completion next year

Nala Renewables is a 50/50 joint venture between Trafigura, one of the world’s largest commodity trading firms, and IFM’s funds investment funds. The company focuses on solar and wind power and battery storage.

It has 4 GW of capacity in its late-stage portfolio in a dozen countries across Europe and the world. Nala Renewables plans to make the project pipeline operational by the end of next year and grow it to 10 GW by 2030.

In Romania, the company is building almost 100 MW including solar power. As for the rest of the region covered by Balkan Green Energy News, Nala Renewables has 817 MW in portfolio in Greece. None is operational yet, but 52 MW in peak capacity is under construction, compared to 54 MW in Kilkis.

According to the investor’s website, it is also working on battery projects in the country.