Construction of the “Kostolac” wind farm has been successfully completed, and the facility has already delivered its first megawatt-hours to the grid. Following the issuance of the connection permit for the transmission system, voltage was energized in the substation and four feeder lines, after which the blades of Wind Turbine 1 began to turn. This officially marked the start of trial operation, Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS) announced.
“This is a historic moment for EPS. In addition to electricity from water, coal, and solar, we now have the first energy from our own wind farm in Kostolac feeding into the grid. It is 66 megawatts of new capacity and a major step toward increasing the share of renewables and advancing the sustainable energy development not only of EPS, but of the entire Serbian energy sector,” said Dušan Živković, General Manager of EPS.
He emphasized that the Kostolac wind farm is only the beginning of EPS’s accelerated expansion of green generation capacities. The project is particularly significant because it was built on a former mining waste deposit site, giving the area a completely new and sustainable purpose.
More:
- Ports Are the Backbone of Europe’s Wind Energy
- Low Auction Budget Puts UK Offshore Wind at Risk
- The largest French offshore wind farm is being built off the coast of Normandy
“The construction of the wind farm was both a major challenge and an extraordinary opportunity for experienced engineers and young professionals at EPS to work together and gain valuable knowledge for future projects,” Živković added.
Energization of the remaining wind turbines at the “Kostolac” wind farm is underway across the Drmno, Petka, Ćirikovac, and Klenovnik locations. The planned annual output is 187 million kilowatt-hours, enough to supply around 30,000 households with green electricity.
The project is financed through a €110 million loan from the German development bank KfW. In addition, the European Union provided €30 million in grants through the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF), while EPS secured the remaining funds.
Energetski portal
