Dutch wind farm in Murmansk

The Russian government is slowly catching onto renewables , this despite the countries vast natural resources and reliance on nuclear energy. An agreement has been signed with the local district council permitting the building of the first phase of power plant.

The wind farm is slated to be built 150 kms east of Murmansk, where Gazprom is also constructing a gas processing plant. 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. The project looks set to begin construction in June 2009 with the first wind turbines being installed in 2010 and operational status being reached by the end of 2011.

The location presents a host of new challenges for wind power, there are high average sustained rates of wind of up to 9.5 metres / second. Also the company will look to limit the selection process to tried and tested wind turbine models, partially due to the extreme climate and challenges associated with servicing the turbines in this remote region.

Managing director Paul Logchies points out that "The conditions at this onshore site are comparable to those encountered at offshore wind farms in the North Sea. 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."