Wind Energy

Wind energy in Poland: Acciona puts its first wind farm into service

Acciona Energy’s wind farm at Golice has just entered service in Poland, the first installed by the company in the country. It represents an investment of around 223 million zlotys (57 million euros at the current exchange rate). Its 38 MW of installed capacity will generate clean electricity equivalent to the consumption of around 40,000 Polish homes and will avoid the emission of 77,625 metric tons of CO2 to the atmosphere per year.

The wind farm, 100% owned by Acciona, is located in the municipality of Golice (Lubuskie province) in the west of the country, and consists of nineteen 2 MW wind turbines. The project received matched funding from the Cohesion Fund of the European Union.

The entry into service of the wind park allows Acciona to position itself in the Polish wind power sector, which has shown strong growth in recent years. In 2010, installed wind power capacity in the country increased by 53% to reach an accumulated figure of 1,107 MW. This trend is continuing this year and will enable Poland to reach a figure of between 10,500 and 12,500 MW in operation by 2020, according to European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) forecasts.

This estimate is in line with Poland’s objective of generating 15% of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020, at the same time reducing its strong dependence on fossil fuels -particularly coal- in its energy mix. Indeed, coal accounts for 92% of electricity generation in the country and 55% of primary energy.

Poland is the thirteenth country where Acciona and operates wind parks. There are another six in Europe: Spain, Germany, Portugal, Italy, Greece and Hungary; three in America: the USA, Mexico and Canada; two in Asia -India and South Korea- and one in Australia. The company has also recently been awarded the construction of a wind park in Costa Rica.

In 2012, Acciona will build a new wind farm in Poland: Gostyn, with an installed capacity of 33 MW. It is located in the municipality of Krobia (district of Gostyn), also in the west of the country. The Company has a number of additional wind power projects under development in Poland.

The Acciona Group already has a consolidated position in Poland in the field of infrastructures, where it has operated since 1999 through its subsidiary Mostostal Warszawa, one of the biggest Polish construction firms.

www.acciona-energia.com