Wind project Zelengrad–Obrovac becomes operational

An investment of EUR 50.56 million in a wind park in northern Dalmatia with 42 MW of capacity was completed and set into motion, Večernji list newspaper said. Turbines with an additional 12 MW of capacity will be installed in Zelengrad–Obrovac wind park in the second phase.

EnerCap Capital partners, the fund manager based in Prague which specializes in investments in clean energy in Central and Eastern Europe, and Crescent Capital, a Turkish fund manager which specializes in investing in energy and infrastructure, jointly ensured equity for the construction of the second largest wind farm in Croatia, which will generate more than 10 percent of the installed capacity of wind power in Croatia. The project, which started in 2009, was developed by company Eko energija koncept DOO. The first phase was completed with 14 V90 turbines produced by Vestas. The engineering works were performed by Ing-grad DOO, in cooperation with ABB DOO.

Zelengrad–Obrovac will produce approximately 100 GWh per year, which corresponds to the consumption of around 25,000 households, thereby avoiding the emission of 24,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, said Zoran Simone, CEO of Eko energija koncept. „We have a building permit for the construction of four additional wind turbines, and this will become the largest wind farm in Croatia. But the administration is the problem for us, and that they restrict the quota for additional megawatts.“

Attorney Davor Stanić from the Stanić i Radelić JTD, legal adviser to investors, explains that technical limitation prescribed by HOPS DOO, the transmission operator, prevents expansion, as reported by ESIA SEE (Environment Social Impact Assessment South East Europe). “We expect to liberalize further investment in wind energy in Croatia,” he said.