Construction of 4,000 ha Cibuk 1 wind farm near Kovin may start in 2013 - Geological survey of the site for first Serbian wind farm kicks off

A geotechnical survey of the site in the village of Dolovo near Kovin, where Cibuk 1, the first wind farm in Serbia, is going to be built, has just started.

If everything goes as planned, the construction of wind turbines, as part of the Cibuk 1 Wind Farm project, will kick off in 2013.

The company Vetroelektrane Balkana (Wind Farms of the Balkans) and its strategic partner Continental Wind Partners are in charge of the construction of the first wind farm in Serbia. Cibuk 1 will span 4,000 hectares and it will be over 12 kilometers long.

Testing of the site quality is the last phase in the preliminary and main design for the wind farm project, which includes the preparation of a geological base required for the construction of foundations. A total of 57 wind turbines should be installed in the first phase of the project, whereas the second phase should see the installation of another 43 turbines. The poles on which turbines and generators will be mounted will be 120 meters high, and they will weigh about 50 tonnes each.

- These poles will form energy circles sending electricity to a substation, which will be connected to the power supply system of the Electric Power Company of Serbia (EPS) via a long-distance power line - Vetroelektrana Balkan CEO Dragan Rebic explained.

He voiced the hope that all required permits would be issued next year and that the construction of access roads would commence as early as in late 2012, followed by the installation of wind generators.

- How much longer we will have to wait for the first green kilowatt of energy generated from wind also depends on the initiative of competent bodies. The new Energy Law provides a good stimulus for investment in renewable energy sources, but the advantages will come to the fore once all bylaws are adopted, and it will definitely affect the further progress of the works - Mark Krandl, director of Continental Wind Partners, points out.

(Dolovo)

- Competent bodies have a legal obligation to suggest bylaws until November. We have not seen anything done to date, and the fact that it is already October gives us a reason to worry - Krandl explains.

If the adoption of bylaws is postponed, works on the wind farm will be significantly slowed down. Namely, European and world banks provide loans for projects such as Cibuk 1, which cover nearly three quarters of costs. Without a financial aid, the whole project would be halted.

- We hope there will be no delays and that bylaws will be adopted in November so that the works on the construction of this wind farm can start in late 2011 - Mark Krandl stresses.

Works on the geological survey started in the presence of Douglas Apostol, head of the U.S. Embassy Department of Economics, who believes that the construction of the wind farm will help Serbia get closer to the Directive 20-20-20.

- When other investors see that Serbia is a good destination for investments in renewable energy sources, their interest and readiness to invest in Serbia, not only in the wind energy sector, but also in hydroelectric and biomass power plants and other renewable raw materials, will definitely grow.

The geotechnical research that has just started will also provide guidelines for the construction of foundations for the building of the substation and the administrative building of the wind farm. The wind farm Cibuk, with the capacity of 300 megawatts (MW), should generate electricity for about 300,000 households.

Continental Wind Partners

The strategic partner and project investor, Continental Wind Partners, built wind farms on several continents, whereas its most famous project in Europe is the wind farm Fantanele.