Thursday 16 May 2013

Turkey’s biggest wind farm starts producing electricity

The biggest wind farm in Turkey has started generating electricity, thanks to the help provided by a London-based bank.

The 142.5MW Enerjisa Bares plant, which was financed with a €135 million loan arranged by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), will increase Turkey’s current wind power generated electricity by around 8%. It will also help the nation reduce its reliance on expensive fossil fuel imports.

Nandita Parshad, EBRD Director for Power and Energy said: “Last year when the EBRD invested in this brilliant wind farm, we knew which way the wind was blowing. The energy that Bares starts producing today can provide clean electricity to around 170,000 households in Turkey, blowing away costly imported resources, enhancing Turkey’s energy security and bringing the country closer to its renewable energy targets.”

According to figures from the European Wind Energy Association, Turkey had around 2,300MW of wind power installed at the end of last year and aims to generate 30% of its power from renewables by 2030.