The Romanian government has authorised Iberdrola Renovables, which established an office in Romania last year, to set its Bobruja project in motion, which will witness the start-up of up to 50 wind farms in the region of Dobruja, in south-eastern Romania. The Company intends to build these wind farms between 2011 and 2017.
This planned output will enable the Spanish giant to generate enough energy in Romania to supply nearly one million households, while also curbing yearly carbon dioxide emissions by 2.6 million tonnes.
Iberdrola Renovables is implementing all its projects in Romania with the company Eolica Dobrogea (owned by the Swiss engineering group NEK and the Romanian companies C-Tech and Rokura). This company, which is at the forefront of the Romanian renewables market, has been entrusted with the task of developing the projects – planning and obtaining the construction permits – while Iberdrola Renovables is responsible for constructing and operating the wind farms.
The company intends to begin construction this year on its first wind facility in Romania: the 80-MW Mihai Viteazu farm. This particular project does not fall within the new power concession granted by the Romanian government, but will also be located in the region of Dobruja. The farm is expected to be brought into service in January 2011.
2009 saw Iberdrola Renovables open its first office in the Romanian capital, Bucharest, as part of its ongoing plan to cement its presence in Eastern Europe. The company already has operating wind farms in Poland (161 MW) and Hungary (50 MW), and is working on projects in Estonia (where it is implementing the country’s largest wind farm at 150 MW) and Bulgaria. It is also in the process of taking wind measurements in Russia.
At present, North America and Europe are the company’s key markets, although Eastern Europe has also been tagged as a priority market for the years to come, with a project pipeline approaching 4,700 MW.
In 2009, the Spanish company channelled nearly 100 million euros into developing renewable energies in Eastern Europe, making it the benchmark company for renewable energies in the region.
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