Serbia’s largest wind farm unveiled – 104.5 MW Kovačica officially starts operations

The largest wind farm in Serbia to date has officially started its operations today near Kovačica, a small town in the north of the country. The 104.5 MW wind farm is the sixth fully operation built in Serbia and now the country has 171.6 MW of wind farms, while about 370 MW more are under construction or in the trial production phase.

The 104.5 MW Kovačica wind farm is the first completely new large power plant build in Serbia after almost three decades. The construction of the wind farm started in 2017. In July 2019, the plant obtained privileged producer status and was fully connected to the electricity transmission system. Following a successful trial period, the facility has now been officially launched at a ceremony attended by Serbia’s Minister of Mining and Energy Aleksandar Antić, Israel’s Ambassador to Serbia Alona Fisher Kamm, the representatives of the investor and other officials.

The investor in the EUR 189 million project is Israel-based Enlight Renewable Energy

The investor in the EUR 189 million project is Israel-based Enlight Renewable Energy, the company that has acquired three wind farms in the Balkan region. Three financiers supported the construction of the wind farm with EUR 142 million, including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), with EUR 49 million, Erste Group and Erste Bank Serbia, covered by Euler-Hermes ECA.

The wind farm comprises 38 wind turbines delivered by GE Renewable Energy. A 15-year full-service agreement is also part of the deal between GE Renewable Energy and Enlight Renewable Energy.

The Kovačica wind farm will supply 60,000 households and reduce CO2 emissions by almost 250,000 tonnes per year

The Kovačica wind farm will supply 60,000 households with electricity and reduce CO2 emissions by almost 250,000 tonnes per year, the EBRD said in a press release.

Zsuzsanna Hargitai, EBRD Regional Director of the Western Balkans, said that investment in renewable energy is particularly important for the Western Balkans, a region which until recently has depended heavily on coal for electricity generation.