ZAGREB, November 21, 2018 - Construction work on a wind farm inland from the northern Adriatic town of Senj began on Tuesday, with Prime Minister Andrej Plenković saying that this 160 million euro project of a wind farm in Croatia was an excellent example of cooperation between Croatia and China.
The 156-MW wind farm, consisting of thirty-nine 4-MW turbines, will be built by the Chinese company Norinco International and will spread over 45 square kilometres. Construction should be completed in two years and the wind farm should be operating for 23 years. Estimated annual output is 530 million kWh.
Plenković said that this project opened a new chapter in relations between China and Croatia and delivered a strong message in terms of investment. He said that this investment would make a considerable contribution to the total share of renewable energy sources in electricity production in Croatia.
The prime minister expressed confidence that the project would be completed according to schedule and that some of the work would be performed by Croatian businesses and workers.
Plenković said that Croatia wanted to boost its cooperation with China, especially in infrastructure development. He said that Chinese participation in the upgrade of railway infrastructure, in which Croatia plans to invest 3 billion euro over the next 12 years, would be in Croatia's interest.
Plenković said that Croatian seaports could also be interesting to Chinese companies. Asked if this meant that a lowland railway between Rijeka and Zagreb could be built, he said that this was one of the options that would strengthen Croatia's position on Europe's infrastructure map.
Norinco International CEO Wang Yitong said that the project was supported by both the Croatian and the Chinese government. He recalled that the project agreement had been signed a year ago.
Late last year, Norinco International purchased a 76% stake in the Senj-based Energija Projekt company for 32 million euro, acquiring the rights to build and manage a wind farm near Senj.
For more on the cooperation between Croatia and China, click here.
