Syvash Wind Farm, Ukraine

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Syvash wind farm is a 250MW onshore wind power project located in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine.

The project was developed by SyvashEnergoProm, which is a joint venture (JV) between Norwegian company Emergy (previously NBT) and French firm Total-Eren. Saudi Arabian conglomerate AlGihaz acquired a minority stake in the project in 2019.

The wind farm was developed in two phases, with a total investment of €380m ($429.4m). The project was supported by the Ukrainian Government, the Office of the National Investment Council and regional authorities.

The environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) of the renewable energy project was disclosed in August 2018, followed by the start of construction works a month later. The wind farm became fully operational in 2021.

Syvash wind farm location

The Syvash wind farm lies close to Lake Syvash in the Chaplynka district of the Kherson region, southern Ukraine.

The project site covers an area of 1,307ha, which is leased from reserve lands of Pershokostiantynivska, Hryhorivska, Pavliska and Strohanivska village councils.

Syvash wind farm make-up

The Syvash onshore wind farm consists of 63 units of Nordex N131/ DELTA 3900 series horizontal axis wind turbines, each of which has an installed capacity of 3.9MW.

Each turbine is equipped with NR65.5 rotor blades, which have a rotor diameter of 131m. It has a hub height of 120m and swept area of 13,478m². Turbine towers are tubular and made of steel, while blades are made of glass-fibre reinforced polyester. Featuring anti-icing and Nordex Control™ systems, the turbines are designed to operate in light and moderate wind locations.

Electricity generated by the turbine generators is carried by underground cables to a 150kV substation building, constructed to the north-west of the project site. Cables are armoured and buried to a depth of 1m. The turbine sites are connected by 71km of access roads.

Ukrainian state-owned company Energorynok purchases the electricity generated by the wind farm.

Syvash wind project financing

SyvashEnergoProm achieved financial closure for the wind farm’s first phase, worth €155m ($175m), in January 2019.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), supported by eight different European development banks, provided a long-term senior loan of €75m ($84.6m) in an A-loan structure under its Ukraine Sustainable Energy Lending Facility III (USELF III) framework. Green for Growth Fund (GGF) and the Netherlands Development Finance Company (FMO) jointly provided a loan of €75m ($84.6m) in a B-loan structure.

The first phase of the project was also supported by a parallel loan of €5m ($5.64m) from the Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (NEFCO).

Furthermore, Emergy and Total-Eren secured a €107.6m ($121.6m) loan for the second phase of the project from a group of development banks, including Proparco, the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (BSTDB), Finnfund, the Danish development finance institution, IFU, and NEFCO, in April 2019.

Proparco contributed €42.6m ($48.1m) and BSTDB provided €30m ($33.9m), while Finnfund and IFU provided €15m ($16.9m) each, and NEFCO provided €5m ($5.6m). Mott MacDonald acted as the lenders’ technical advisor to reach financial close for the project.

Contractors involved

POWERCHINA and its subsidiary Powerchina Fujian Electric Power Engineering were awarded the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract by NBT to build the wind farm in September 2018.

The Nordex Group received an order to supply 34 wind turbines for the first phase of the project in February 2019. The company received a follow-up order of 29 wind turbines for the second phase of the project in May 2019.

Esteyco performed coordination works for POWERCHINA and assisted in the installation of the wind turbines.

IRUN Engineering performed project directorship, survey engineering, construction management and EPC contract management tasks. Hareket provided heavy lift and transport services for the project.

Syvash wind farm benefits

The project created employment for up to 100 locals in the Kherson region during the construction phase. It is expected to generate UAH2.5m ($91,240) a year in tax revenues for the local community.

The wind farm has the capacity to generate 850GWh of clean electricity a year, which is enough to power 250,000 local households. It aims to create a positive impact on the environment by offsetting 860,000t of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions and saving 480,000t of coal a year.

The project also supports the Energy Strategy of Ukraine, which aims to increase the share of renewable energy in its power mix to 25% by 2035.