First wind turbine erected in the largest wind farm under construction in the Baltics by Ignitis Renewables

The first wind turbine has been erected in the largest wind farm under construction in the Baltics by Ignitis Renewables, an international green energy company. It is 240 metres high and has an installed capacity of 7 megawatts (MW). These are the largest and most powerful wind turbines being built by the company. All 44 wind turbines in the Kelmė district are to be installed by the end of the year.

“We are now in the most intense and complex period of the wind farm construction, which will last until the end of this year. We are carrying out different tasks at the same time in different parts of the project. We are building roads, laying cables, installing the grid connection infrastructure, pouring the foundations for the next phase of the wind turbine construction, transporting the parts of the wind turbines from the Port of Klaipėda and installing the wind turbines when they arrive at the location,” says Giedrius Meškelė, Head of Renewables Lithuania at Ignitis Renewables.

According to him, the Kelmė wind farm will be equipped with wind turbines manufactured by Nordex. The installation will continue until the end of the year with commissioning taking place at the same time. Most of the wind turbines will be 240 metres high (including the tower and the blades) with blade rotation diameter of up to 163 metres. One wind turbine will have an installed capacity of 7 MW.

Installation of a wind turbine is a complex and precise process. Once the access road and foundations are prepared, the bulky parts of the wind turbines, including tower elements, nacelle, blades, are brought in. The first components of the wind turbines started moving out of the Port of Klaipėda at the end of March and will be delivered by the end of the year. Abnormal loads are escorted by the police and transported at night in order to avoid inconveniencing other road users and local residents.

The commercial operation of the wind farm is expected to start in 2025. The total potential capacity of the wind farm is 300 MW and the electricity it generates will be enough to cover the demand of 250,000 households in Lithuania, which is equivalent to an area the size of the Kaunas district.

Kelmė district is one of the most developed centres in Lithuania in terms of renewable energy and the wind farm of Ignitis Renewables, currently under construction, is another important step in expanding the company's portfolio of wind farm projects in Lithuania and increasing its green generation capacity.

The investments in the Kelmė wind farm, including the acquisition and construction costs, are expected to reach around EUR 550 million.