158 MW wind farm in Serbia reaches key construction milestones

Masdar has announced that Čibuk 1, the largest utility-scale commercial wind project in Serbia, has successfully reached a number of key milestones, and is on schedule to start production early next year. Masdar is developing the project in collaboration with Taaleri Energia and the German development finance institution DEG.

Located in Dolovo, 50km outside the capital Belgrade, the project has completed the construction of 33 overhead pylons allowing for the energisation of the wind farm’s substation, its connection to existing transmission lines 11km away, and the handover of the transmission operation building to its operator.

Comprising 57 wind turbines supplied by GE Renewable Energy, the 158 MW wind farm is expected to provide electricity to 113,000 homes and displace more than 370,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. To date, 52 of the wind turbines have been fully assembled.

The power purchase agreement (PPA) for Čibuk 1 was signed in October 2016. Serbia has pledged to produce 27% of its domestic power needs from renewable energy sources by 2020, reducing the country’s dependence on coal-fired power generation in line with European Union regulations.