In the latest expansion of its wind energy activities, Axpo announced that two wind farms with a combined total of 38 turbines are in the planning stage in Romania. Overall, the development pipeline of Axpo includes wind farms with an installed capacity of 3.5 GW. Axpo continues to make a substantial contribution to the expansion of climate-friendly power production across Europe and in Switzerland, where it is the largest producer of renewable energies.
The two planned Romanian wind farms will together have 38 wind turbines and a capacity of approximately 250 MW. Construction is expected to commence at the end of 2023 in locations about 100 km north-east and 200 km east of Bucharest. The facilities will produce 750 GWh of electricity a year – equivalent to the power consumption of around 375,000 Romanian households. Axpo will work closely with the local partner Aquarius Energy Developments to complete the project.
Aquarius Energy Developments was formed in July 2021 by three professionals with wide experience in Renewable Energy project development in Romania and 20 plus years of Romanian Development experience. The company’s mission statement is to identify and select profitable onshore wind and solar projects, to update technically and manage presentation and marketing to the international investment community. The team behind Aquarius has reached a portfolio of circa 2 GW of works under development and sale to date.
The expansion of wind energy in Romania will create employment across the entire project development value chain, from land acquisition to plant commissioning and operation management.
Axpo is pursuing a niche strategy directed primarily at markets that are not yet the focus of large wind energy developers. Romania meets most key criteria in the assessment of new markets: strong demand for additional renewable capacity, high local acceptance of renewable energies, a medium-sized market, good wind conditions, and few restrictions in the planning process.
“Like the main markets of Germany and France in which we have been successful for many years, Romania holds enormous potential for the development of wind farms”, commented Iulian Alexe, responsible for Axpo’s wind power business in Romania. “We are working closely with our colleagues in our origination business, who have been offering tailored energy solutions for customers since 2003, and are confident that we can combine this experience with the Axpo Group’s project implementation expertise to grow the business in Romania.”
French wind market leader Axpo, through its subsidiary Volkswind, has developed more than 80 wind farms in Germany and France with an installed capacity of over 1,350 MW. In France, Axpo is already one of the leading companies in the development and construction of wind energy plants.
In addition to its involvement in plant construction and power production, Axpo is also a leading pan-European marketer of renewable energies. In total, Axpo markets approximately 19,700 megawatts of solar and wind energy on behalf of its customers. Through its use of pioneering long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs), Axpo has been able to ensure the broad and sustainable growth of renewable energies, supporting numerous corporate customers in some 40 markets to achieve lower CO2 emissions.
About Axpo
As Switzerland’s largest producer of renewable energy and an international leader in energy trading and the marketing of solar and wind power, Axpo combines the experience and expertise of more than 5,000 employees.