Enerjisa launches largest Turkish wind farm plant

BALIKESİR - Hürriyet Daily News

The 143 MW plant is set to become the largest such power generation facility in the country. AA photo

Enerjisa, a joint venture between Turkey’s Sabancı Holding and Germany’s E.ON, has launched a 52-unit wind farm in the north western province of Balıkesir with the aim of becoming the largest such power generation facility in the country.

The 143 MW plant is the first joint wind project by the duo since the German party replaced Austria’s Verbund in the 50 percent to 50 percent partnership in April, and Enerjisa’s overall investments have reached $10 million with the new plant, according to company executives.

Energy Minister Taner Yıldız said in a speech during a ceremony in Balıkesir on May 11 that Turkey needed to diversify its energy basket, putting an emphasis on the government’s nuclear goals. “The growth in Turkey is more rapid than the growth of renewable energy investments,” Yıldız said, recalling last week a key deal with Japan for the construction of Turkey’s second nuclear plant project at a cost of nearly $22 billion.

The minister also said the tenders for privatization of entire electricity distribution grids in the country would hopefully be finalized in June or July.

Sabancı, which had won the power grid in Ankara for $1.23 billion, recently won two other grids for a sum of nearly $3 billion. Turkey is also bidding to increase its domestic energy facilities, Yıldız said, speaking of a new project, Mini RES, which refers to small wind energy plants.

“Initially we want to produce 2.5 MW at domestic wind stations, because our goal is to produce 20,000 MW of wind energy as of 2023. The total investment at the Bares plant in Balıkesir will total 153 million euros,” Sabancı Chairperson Güler Sabancı said at the ceremony.

EBRD fund support

The total volume of energy to be produced there is set roughly to supply the electricity needs of some 170,000 Turkish households. The group, which is also active in the electricity distribution business, aims to reach 9 million users, Sabancı said.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) provided financing for the project. Nandita Parshad, the power and energy utilities director of the group, said the EBRD provided 135 million euros of financing for the Bares facility, increasing the total amount of energy financing in Turkey to 460 million euros.