State power utility Elektroprivreda BiH (EPBiH) and a consortium led by Croatia-based Siemens Gamesa have signed two agreements, worth some EUR 69 million, on the construction and five-year maintenance of 15 wind turbines at the Podveležje wind farm, with a total installed capacity of 48 MW, according to a statement from EPBiH.

The consortium, comprising Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy from Croatia and Siemens Wind Power A/S from Denmark, will design, supply the equipment, build, install, test, and put in operation the wind turbines within 21.5 months, reads the statement, issued following the signature.

The development of the Podveležje wind farm, which is located about 10 kilometers east of the City of Mostar and whose projected annual electricity output is about 130 GWh, is financed with a loan from the German state development bank KfW, as well as EPBiH’s own funds, according to the statement.

According to earlier reports, the first contracts on the construction of the wind farm were signed in January 2017, in what marked the official launch of works on the project.

According to reports at the time, the overall value of the investment in the wind farm is EUR 83.2 million, of which EPBiH should provide EUR 17.8 million, while the rest is to be secured from a EUR 65 KfW loan, according to earlier reports

At a presentation of the Podveležje project in March 2018, it was said that the second stage would involve building 30 substations, while the third stage would see the construction of local roads and necessary platforms.

Podveležje is EPBiH’s first wind farm

The signing of the contracts on wind turbines was attended by Christian Sedat, chargé d’affaires at the German Embassy to Bosnia and Herzegovina, who recalled that Podveležje is the not only the first wind farm to be built by EPBiH, but also one of the first in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Sedat also said that the German government and KfW are proud to finance and provide consultancy services for this groundbreaking project.

The contracts were signed by Viktor Ivanov Garbev, chairman of the board of Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, and Mario Marčan, a board member. On behalf of EPBiH, the contracts were signed by Bajazit Jašarević, general manager, and Senad Salkić, executive director for capital investments.