Eastern promises

In recent months, ACCIONA Energy has commissioned a wind farm in Croatia and another in Poland.

ver the past six months ACCIONA Energy has extended its international reach with the commissioning of two wind farms in Eastern Europe: one in Croatia (30MW) and the other in Poland (33MW).

The Company is engaged in other projects in both countries, but Poland in particular is in the process of introducing a new regulatory framework for the country's wind power industry.

In Croatia, the Jelinak wind farm (the country's first ACCIONA-owned wind facility) was installed in 2012 and came on-stream in 2013. It is made up of twenty ACCIONA wind turbine generators (1.5MW) each, set on steel towers. The facility is to be found in the Split-Dalmatia region and has a yearly production capacity of 81 million kWh, enough to avoid the emission of 79,000 metric tons of CO2.

In Poland, the Krobia I wind farm came into operation in 2013. It boasts eleven ACCIONA Windpower wind turbine generators set on concrete towers. This facility, located in the province of Wielkopolskie (western Poland), will produce 82 million kWh a year and avoid 77,800 metric tons of carbon emissions. It is ACCIONA's second wind farm in Poland following the commissioning of the 38MW Golice facility in 2011.

Prospects for wind power in Croatia are bright: the country is highly energy dependent and relies heavily on fossil. In addition, Croatia has recently joined the European Union and it will have to adapt to EU requirements on energy and climate change, as well as meeting a 20% renewables target by 2020. At end-2012 the country had a total installed capacity of 194MW of wind power, and the target for 2020 is 1,200MW.

Poland has the most mature wind power sector in Central- and Eastern Europe, registering significant growth rates in recent years. In 2012, the country's total wind power installed capacity jumped 53%, to an accumulated total of 2,547MW, according to Navigant Consulting. The country's National Action Plan on Renewable Energy is aiming for a target of 7,000MW of wind power for 2020, in an effort to reduce fossil fuels' (especially coal) key role in energy production. Fossil fuels account for 96% of electrical power production in Poland.