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The Prymorska wind electric plant (WEP) is a 200MW onshore wind farm located in the Zaporizhia region of Ukraine.
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The project was developed in two phases by DTEK Renewables. Construction of the first 100MW phase, located in the Prymorsk district of the Zaporizhia region, commenced in 2016, and operations began in February 2019. Construction of the 100MW phase two, located in the Pryazovsk district, began in 2018 and became operational in November 2019.
The facility is connected to the Ukrainian national grid and generates electricity to power more than 350,000 homes in Ukraine. The wind farm will help to reduce carbon emissions by 700,000 tonnes a year.
Prymorska wind farm make-up
The Prymorska wind farm was constructed on the Sea of Azov shore in the Zaporizhia region. Phase one of the project encompasses 26 3.8MW 130 110HH wind turbines supplied by GE.
The rotor and nacelle of each turbine are based on a tubular steel tower with varied hub height options.
The diameter of the turbine’s rotor is 130m, while its swept area is 13,273m². The sound level of the turbines during normal operation is 107dB(A).
Digital substation technology and grid connection
The transmission infrastructure for phase one of the Prymorska wind farm included a 150kV central power distribution station and two 150/35/10kV substations. GE supplied high-voltage equipment for the central power distribution station and substations.
Prymorska WEP is the first Ukrainian project to feature GE’s digital substation technology, which generates automatic real-time alerts on the status of the equipment. It also provides information on equipment disruptions or failures.
The digital substation (DS) technology integrates a digital data exchange system, which is based on the IIEC 61850 uniform communications protocol. It also includes a protection and control unit, measuring units, and condition-monitoring systems.
The DS technology offers reliability and situational awareness while ensuring greater utilisation of resources, which cannot be provided by a conventional substation. It digitalises all analogue data at the source and provides information to personnel through fibre-optic communication links.
The substation features a dual star architecture based on parallel redundancy protocol (PRP), which protects all interconnection controllers and protection terminals.
GE MiCOM P546 differential terminals are used as part of the DS technology. The terminals provide high-speed current differential unit protection to the cable lines. GE MiCOM P446 relays serve as standby terminals.
A compact HYpact hybrid switchgear is provided by GE for the wind farm. It integrates earthing switches, disconnectors and circuit breakers (CBs). The hybrid switchgear ensures economic substation designs, better operational planning and enhanced space availability.
The solution also reduces environmental influences on switchgear and acts as an economic alternative to gas-insulated substations.
Prymorska wind farm financing
A syndicate of German banks, including Bayerische Landesbank, KfW IPEX-Bank and Bremer Kreditbank, offered a €90m ($104.8m) loan in August 2018 for the first phase of the Prymorska wind farm. The ten-year term loan is guaranteed by the German export credit agency (ECA) Euler Hermes.
In June 2019, DTEK Renewables borrowed €90m ($102.3m) from a consortium of German banks, including Bayerische Landesbank, KfW IPEX-Bank and ODDO BHF Aktiengesellschaft, to fund phase two of the Prymorska wind farm. Euler Hermes and Spanish Export Credit Agency (CESCE) provided guarantees for the ten-year loan.
GE Energy Financial Services supported DTEK in raising project finance for both phases of the Prymorska wind farm.
Contractors involved
GE Renewable Energy signed a contract with DTEK for the installation and maintenance of 26 turbines in January 2018. It is also responsible for the maintenance of the turbines for a period of 20 years.
DTEK placed a contract with GE Renewable Energy for the supply of an additional 26 turbines for stage two of the wind project in October 2018.
GE Power’s Grid Solutions division received a €4m ($4.65m) contract to supply transmission equipment and systems for the distribution and substations of the plant in June 2018.
Deutsche WindGuard, a consulting firm offering advice on the development of wind projects, served as an independent technical advisor for the project by conducting wind measurement and energy yield assessment in addition to technical due diligence.
