wpd Adria plans EUR 1.5 billion investment in 1.2 GW wind farms in BiH, Croatia

wpd Adria, a subsidiary of German renewable energy company wpd, intends to invest EUR 1.5 billion in an integrated 1.2 GW wind farm system in the Livno-Grahovo-Knin area in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to Zoran Obradović, managing director at wpd Adria, eKapija reported.

The Dubrovnik-based wpd Adria is currently in the process of obtaining permits for the installation of measuring points in the Livno, Glamoč, and Grahovo areas, while a license has already been issued for measuring in Knin, he said.

Obradović, who recently spoke for Balkan Green Energy News about wpd Adria’s investments in the region, said that the plan is to construct wind farms with a total capacity of 900 MW in BiH, and a further 300 MW in Croatia.

The project would be developed in stages, with construction expected to start in three to four years and be completed in 2030.

The first wind farms will be built in locations that offer immediate connection to the grid. Afterwards, the company plans to arrange a power network expansion in cooperation with Croatian transmission system operator (TSO) HOPS and BiH’s TSOs Elektroprijenos and NOS.

wpd Adria already operates four wind farms in Croatia – two near Šibenik, one on the Pelješac peninsula and one near Šestanovac, with a total capacity of 100 MW

The required investments in the network are EUR 200 million, and the financing could be provided by EU, since the objective is to create a single electricity market in the EU, Obradović explained.

wpd Adria does not need feed-in tariffs or balancing services, but it needs a good regulatory framework for investments.

Projects in BiH and Croatia are a good opportunity for electricity export, given that EU countries will be importers, and given the expected price hike due to planned closures of 10 GW thermal power plant capacities and 20 GW in nuclear power capacities, Obradović said.

wpd Adria already has four wind farms in Croatia – two near Šibenik, on Pelješac peninsula and near Šestanovac, with a total capacity of 100 MW. The company is currently assessing the wind potential in the Ravno municipality, in the south of the FBiH. The planned wind farm there should have an installed capacity of 50 MW, with construction expected to start in three years.