U.S. Continental Wind Partners invests EUR 450 million in wind farm construction near Kovin - First windmills in 2013

The company Continental Wind Partners (CWP) plans to invest EUR 450 million in the construction of the first wind farm in Serbia, with the capacity of 300 MW. Work on the site Dolovo near Kovin may kick off next year, and first windmills could be put in operation as early as 2014. This will be achieved only if the new government does its share of work and adopt necessary regulations, given that the U.S. investor expressed readiness to implement this project a long time ago.

- If the Serbian government promulgates required by-laws, construction will start in June or July next year. If everything goes as planned, we expect first wind turbines at the wind farm to be put in operation in April 2014 – Mark Crandall, president of Continental Wind Partners, says in a talk with eKapija.

As our interlocutor explains, construction of Cibuk wind farm will be carried out in two phases, the first of which will see the installation of 57 wind turbines.

- The wind farm's capacity will depend on the type of turbines installed, and our plan for the first phase is to set up 57 poles for turbines. The minimum capacity is 145 MW, whereas the maximum is 172 MW - Crandall says to our web portal, adding that the budget for the construction of entire wind farm is close to EUR 450 million.

Considering the value of investment, this project is among the most important ones in the field of renewable energy sources in Serbia. Once the wind farm reaches its full capacity of 300 MW, the investors assess it could supply about 30,000 households with electricity.

- Vojvodina has excellent locations and a huge potential for using wind as an inexhaustible source of energy. Construction of wind farms contributes to the country's energy security and enables the reduction of electricity imports, while simultaneously opening a space for the development of greenfield investments, significant improvement of local infrastructure and the creation of new jobs during the construction – Crandall explains.

Despite a huge interest expressed by investors, Serbia has not yet started producing green electricity due to a slow administration and inefficient regulations.

When asked by eKapija for his view on previous cooperation with government agencies and local governments, the president of CWP replies:

- Our cooperation with agencies in Vojvodina is really brilliant. They have a serious approach to every request and everybody is highly supportive of wind energy investments. However, the situation is very problematic when it comes to government agencies. We still wait for the government to promulgate basic by-laws so we could start the construction of the wind farm. The initial deadline was July 2011, which was then extended until November 2011, and it is July 2012 already. One of the issues that have not been resolved to date is an agreement we are supposed to sign with the Electric Power Company of Serbia (EPS) regarding the sale of electricity. However, nothing has happened since November 2011 – our interlocutor explains.

CWP has been operating in Serbia and collecting building permits for three years now. People at this U.S. company hope to have a good cooperation with the new Serbian government and the Ministry of Energy.

Crandall confirms to us that Continental Wind Partners is interested in further investments in wind farms in Serbia.

- Our office in London will be relocated to Belgrade, and we will start operating from our new premises as early as this week. All our European activities will be managed from the office in Belgrade. I believe that we will implement many new projects after we complete the wind farm near Kovin.

CWP is present in several countries of central and southeast Europe, as well as in Australia. This company has built the largest wind farm in Europe - Fantanele, which is situated in Romania and has the capacity of 600 MW.

CWP and Exit

Continental Wind Partners (CWP) and Exit festival worked together again this year on the promotion of wind energy and the potential of Serbia and Vojvodina in particular.

- Exit is a very significant event because it gathers various generations of people from all parts of the world and promotes the values that we as a company advocate, primarily environment protection. Continental Wind Partners, as a long-time partner of the festival, strives to give its contribution in that segment by educating the visitors of Exit - said Crandall.

Recognizable three meter high models of windmills are placed all around Petrovaradin Fortress, and the visitors of Exit have also got fans and caps featuring windmills, as a symbol of the power of wind.

Suzana Obradovic