MND completes Oriv wind powerplant in the Lviv region in western Ukraine

MND has successfully completed the construction of its first wind power plant in Ukraine, WF Oriv. The joint project of the Czech company belonging to the KKCG group, and the Ukrainian company Eco-optima, was completed amidst major difficulties related to the war, with an investment of more than €60 million. The ten turbines in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains in the west of the country have a capacity of up to 59 MW.

Construction of the wind farm began in September 2021, and though Russian aggression delayed the project, it did not stop it. The original completion date was set for August 2022, but with a full-scale war, the ambitious plan could not be achieved. Logistics were very challenging, as the technology and components were being delivered via several European countries. In total, there were hundreds of oversized loads, with the longest part measuring 72 meters and the heaviest component 80 tons.

"After Russia invaded Ukraine, we considered whether to postpone the project. In the end, together with our Ukrainian partner, we decided to complete the wind farm, despite the risks of war. Diversification of energy sources is now very important for Ukraine," said Jana Hamršmídová, Director of Energy at MND. "For MND, this delivers on our priority of strengthening our role in the renewable energy sector, where we are investing in photovoltaic projects and would like to participate in more wind power projects in Ukraine in the future," Hamršmídová added.

WF Oriv had a planned capacity of 55 MW, but thanks to a subsequent software modification in the turbine control system, an additional 4.4 MW was added. This means that the plant will generate almost 162 GWh of electricity annually, covering the consumption of more than 50,000 households, or about 125,000 people. This energy output with fossil fuels would require burning about 130,000 tons of coal, with a by-product of 133 000 tons of CO2.

With MND’s increasing focus on renewables in recent years, the company has a plan to achieve 100% energy self-sufficiency from green sources by 2025. And by 2040, the group will achieve carbon neutrality, with 75% of its energy revenues coming from renewable and transitional sources.

These plans include continued development in Ukraine, which has very favorable conditions for growth in the renewable energy sector. The Carpathian Mountains and the coast of the Black Sea, in particular, present ideal conditions for wind power expansion. In addition to good wind conditions, Ukraine also has relatively low population density. The preparation of such projects, however, requires considerably more time than their construction. The measurement of wind characteristics for WF Oriv, for example, was completed in 2013.

WF Oriv technical parameters

• 10 Nordex Delta 4000 turbines
• Total installed capacity: 59 MW
• Turbine weight: 600 tons
• Height of rotor blades’ axis of rotation: 104.7 meters
• Length of one rotor blade: 72.4 meters
• Total height: 180 meters