Market Status: Rest of the world - Governments move to boost wind energy output

Besides the countries featured in the preceding pages, other nations are taking steps towards developing wind power.

by Eric Prideaux and Branislav Pekic 1 March 2010

SOUTH KOREA

The country added 159MW of new wind power capacity last year, lifting its total to 392MW. The government plans to invest KRW 83 billion ($72 million) in wind in 2010, says Soosung Hwang, the government official responsible for renewables. Support comes from the January 2009 Green New Deal. The current government-mandated purchase price for wind is KRW 105.14/kWh ($0.0916/kWh). For plants built since October 11, the price is KRW 103.04/kWh ($0.0897/kWh). The tariff is obligatory for 15 years, says Hwang.

BALKANS

The Serbian government has approved renewables feed-in tariffs, which took effect on January 1. State-owned power utility Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS) will pay EUR0.095/kWh for wind, a price valid for 12 years from start of production. The ministry has so far issued six permits for construction of wind farms with total a installed capacity of 1.1GW.

Macedonia last year published an energy development strategy up to 2020. A main objective is to increase renewable energy as a proportion of total demand from the current 16.5% to 20.6% by 2020. Wind energy production is expected to reach almost 80GWh by that time.

Bosnia's complicated political structure after the 1992-95 war has hindered foreign investment in wind. But several projects are under way. One is the 46MW Podvelezje Wind Park, near Mostar, led by state power company EPBiH. Also, Elektroprivreda HZHB is developing three wind farms with a total capacity of 128MW.

In December, Montenegro's economics ministry invited bids for the construction of the 46MW Mosura and 50MW Krnovo wind power plants. The land for both projects is being offered on a 20-year lease. Montenegro's public electricity supplier is obliged to purchase all the electricity produced by the wind stations.

Also last year, Kosovo's energy and mining ministry approved Kosovar-German private investor Wind Power's plans to set up a 4MW wind farm on Mount Goles in Lipljan Municipality. By the end of 2010, the Ministry envisages 33GWh of wind power will be consumed annually, increasing to 309GWh by 2016.