Ukraine's DTEK commissions wind project despite conflict

Ukrainian energy company DTEK Group has commissioned the first phase of the Tyligulska wind power project located in the Mykolaiv region in southern Ukraine.

Phase one, with a capacity of 114MW, consists of 19 turbines and will begin adding power to Ukraine's grid in the Spring of this year. It will be the first of multiple phases totalling 500MW.

Maxim Timchenko, CEO of DTEK, praised the company's employees for their achievement despite the difficulties of operating in wartime. Timchenko said in a statement: "Despite all the challenges of this year of war, DTEK has constructed an additional 114MW of green power generation for Ukraine.

"It has been a difficult task, but thanks to the high levels of professionalism and bravery of the company's employees, the new wind farm with 19 turbines will start operating this spring.

"DTEK is building new energy facilities because we believe in the victory of Ukraine. And we are sending a signal to international partners that it is possible to invest in Ukraine today without waiting for the end of the war.”

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The project takes Ukraine closer to its goal of 30GW of installed renewable energy capacity by 2030. Currently, installed renewables capacity, including the temporarily occupied facilities in the south, is about 10GW.

Invasion spurring green development

In a press briefing marking the one-year anniversary of the invasion, Timchenko emphasised that the war has spurred Ukraine’s shift to renewables. DTEK is preparing for a future energy system and continuing to invest throughout wartime.

Also, Ukraine is revamping its grid to a more decentralised model and replacing old soviet-era equipment with systems to accommodate flexible capacity and renewables.

The SCM Group shareholder, Rinat Akhmetov, said: "...Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine has accelerated RES development all over the world. Eleven years ago, we started building “green” energy facilities in Ukraine...Since then, against all the odds, we have remained true to our vision, having invested over €1 billion in solar and wind farms.

"In 2022, we had big plans to build a new Tyligulska wind power plant. Unfortunately, the Russian invasion brought the project to a temporary halt. However, today I can announce that we restarted the construction of the wind farm, and the first phase will be at full capacity in the coming weeks."

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, has repeatedly emphasised the importance of green energy for the future of Ukraine, in terms of providing domestic energy security and becoming a green hub for Europe at large.

The growth of renewable energy capacity will aid the country's infrastructure development and post-war recovery, according to DTEK.