Wpd offshore eyes 1,900 MW in offshore wind farms in Romania

Renewable energy developer wpd intends to install offshore wind farms with a combined capacity of 1,900 megawatts (MW), which could be the first of their kind in Romania and the Black Sea.

Wpd offshore became the first company in Romania to officially apply for the development of offshore wind energy projects in the Black Sea, the company said on its website.

Wpd added that it applied at the end of August for the development of two projects.

The Black Sea 1 (500 MW) and Black Sea 2 (1.4 GW), for which separate project companies have already been established, are to be developed and built off the Black Sea coast, according to the company.

Of note, hydropower company Hidroelectrica earlier announced a plan to install an offshore wind park in the Black Sea, with a capacity of 500 MW.

Wpd is one of the most active energy companies in the region including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia. The company has been active in Romania since 2009, where it is also developing wind onshore projects with a total capacity of 1,300 MW.

Wpd is cooperating with government in drafting offshore wind law

The Romanian government is working on the adoption of an offshore wind law in order to enable and speed up investments in the sector. Wpd offshore said it is closely cooperating with the country’s authorities to support the drafting of the document.

Wpd offshore is well prepared to advance all necessary steps and processes in order to make Romania the first country to install offshore wind farms in the Black Sea, wpd said.

The development of wind energy projects in Romania will also open up opportunities for highly skilled job creation, as well as the development of new technology clusters and supply chains.

Offshore wind development would open up opportunities for businesses

In particular, there will be benefits for industries that will become relevant in the development, construction and operational phases of the projects, wpd said.

Gabriela Dan Unterseh, head of project development wind offshore at wpd offshore in Romania, said wpd has its sights firmly set on the Romanian market for renewable energies and that it can build on a promising pipeline in the offshore wind sector.

“We are convinced that by developing our offshore projects, we are making an important contribution to set Romania’s pioneering role in the expansion of renewables in the region,” added Achim Berge Olsen, member of the Management Board at wpd responsible for the offshore wind sector.