Windlife Energy BV and its Russian subsidiary ZAO Windlife Arctic Power have been developing a 200MW wind park in the Murmansk Oblast region of Russia for the past three years, and under the terms of the agreement, Avantis will assist ZAO Windlife Arctic Power to finalise what it describes as “the development of the first large-scale wind farm in the Russian Federation”.
Avantis will become the anticipated supplier and plans to install 80 of its direct-drive technology wind turbine, the 2.5MW AV928 model, on this wind farm. The initial phase is only for 200 MW, however, there is the option to expand all the way to 2,000 MW should everything go well.
High wind speeds
Avantis has already started working on a cold climate version of this highly successful wind turbine, which is to withstand the harsh cold climate and high winds typical of this region of Russia, located well into the Arctic Circle.
According to Windlife Energy’s Managing Director, Paul Logchies, the conditions at this onshore site are comparable to those encountered at offshore wind farms in the North Sea, with high average sustained rates of up to 9.5 metres/second.
"The onshore installation costs are only about 40% of those for offshore turbines. This consideration, together with the Russian government's grants policy, makes this a very attractive investment for us," he said.
The consortium involved in developing this wind farm, which is expected to be completed between 2011 and 2012 and has the support of the regional government of Murmansk Oblast, expects it to produce approximately 750 GWh of clean energy per annum. This will save 456,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide being emitted into this precarious, arctic environment. After completion, the site will also provide enough clean energy for approximately 190,000 households in the Murmansk region.
“In this harsh climate we are successfully implementing 100 wind turbines which will supplement existing hydro power to bring balance and stability to the high voltage net within the Murmansk Oblast,” said Windlife Energy in a recent press release.
Kola Peninsula has promising renewables potential
The Murmansk region is located on the Kola Peninsula. Last September, the Murmansk Forum on Renewable Energy in the North-West Russia (organised by the Bellona Foundation, in association with the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Centre of Energy Efficiency of Murmansk Oblast, and the Norwegian Barents Secretariat) concluded that the Kola Peninsula has a promising potential for renewables, especially wind energy in coastal and mountain areas.
Several years earlier, the Murmansk Oblast government also ordered the Kola Scientific Research Centre to prepare a paper on targets for the development of renewables in Murmansk Oblast for the period 2010-2015. The research found that in some areas, renewable energy will not only help existing facilities, but could also offer a good alternative to conventional fuels, particularly for remote areas, meteorological stations and military units.
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