Norwegian company NBT AS has partnered up with WV International to develop wind farms in Serbia, with a plan for all 800 MW of wind farms to be operational by 2026. The first 168 MW will be included in the network as early as 2023, and in the meantime the company will change its name to WV-NBT Srbija
Wind farms are set to bring significant levels of economic development and tax revenues to the local region, providing up to two thousand jobs during construction and have a lasting economic impact even after the completion of construction, explains Neda Lazendić, WindVision Development Country Manager for Serbia.
It was 10 years ago that your company started working on wind farm projects in Serbia. What stage are they now at?
WV International has been active in the field of renewable energy for almost 20 years and operates in eight countries: the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Morocco, Serbia, Senegal and Tunisia. It has successfully implemented wind farm projects producing over 200 MW in Belgium and France, obtained permits for over 800 MW and matured into a team of 50+ employees with expertise in the entire life cycle of constructing renewable energy plant projects.
The megawatts that WindVision is counting on the most will come from the Alibunar wind farm complex and the Banat wind farm complex, located on the territory of South Banat, with a total installed capacity of 800 MW.
The project to construct the Alibunar wind farm complex, which was launched in 2010, has been completed and has valid building permits, while a connection to the network has also been secured. It is for this very reason that WindVision is impatiently expecting a new legislative framework for the implementation of renewable energy investments under transparent, competitive and viable market conditions, such as the announced auction system.
Projects to construct the Banat wind farms are at various stages of project development and will also be adapted to the new national legal framework.
The megawatts that we’re counting on the most will come from the Alibunar wind farm complex and the Banat wind farm complex, with a total installed capacity of 800 MW
Norwegian company NBT AS has become your partner in developing wind farms in Serbia. How big will their power output be and when can we expect the first amounts of electricity from these farms to appear on the network?
It was late last year that NBT AS (NBT), an Oslo-based investor in high-power wind farms, joined company WindVision International in the portfolio to construct 800MW of wind farms in Serbia, as well as a project to construct a solar power plant with an installed capacity of 80MW. NBT has significant expertise in implementing projects in emerging market countries, such as Ukraine and China. NBT is the second largest producer and operator of wind energy in Ukraine, with the 800MW Zophia and 250MW Sivashenergoprom projects.
Is it realistic to expect wind parks/wind farms to contribute to the economic development of the region and to create new jobs?
WV International and NBT will develop and build wind farms in adherence to international standards and in accordance with EBRD requirements and equator principles.
These wind farms will bring significant economic development and tax revenue to the local region, providing up to two thousand jobs during construction and have a lasting economic impact even after the completion of construction. These projects will also significantly increase the share of renewable energy sources in total electricity consumption in Serbia, which is one of the energy sector’s most important goals. I’m personally very excited about the implementation of these projects, as I’ve been working on them from the very beginning and am looking forward to them contributing to the energy transition of the Republic of Serbia.