GE to supply Kazakhstan's first wind farm

HAMBURG 2018: GE signed a deal to supply 13 turbines for Eni's 48MW Badamsha wind farm in north-west Kazakhstan at the Global Wind Summit in Hamburg.

by Craig Richard 27 September 2018

GE Renewable Energy's CEO Jérôme Pécresse and Eni's executive vice president of energy solutions Luca Consentino at the Global Wind Summit in Hamburg

It will provide 13 units of its 3.8-130 model with hub heights of 85 metres and rotors with a 130-metre diameter, Eni announced.

Civil and electric works are set to start in October, Eni stated. The first turbines are due to be delivered in June 2019 and installation is set to start the following month and last until October. Commissioning is expected in December 2019.

The Badamsha project is Eni’s first investment in wind and is due to be Kazakhstan’s first operational wind farm.

Eni announced plans to expand into renewables earlier this year, and took its first step into the sector when it made a final investment decision (FID) on Badamhsa in June.

It had also previously signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with GE and the Kazakh minister of energy in June 2017 to promote the development of renewable energy projects in Kazakhstan.

The Italian oil and gas giant signed the turbine purchase agreement with GE at the Global Wind Summit, taking place this week in Hamburg (25-28 September).

Eni’s executive vice president of energy solutions Luca Consentino said the company expects Badamsha to be fully commissioned by the end of 2019.