St. Nikola Wind Farm produced 23% more wind energy in the first nine months of 2020 compared to the same period of 2019

October 13, 2020

The biggest wind park in Bulgaria for 10 years of operations has saved Bulgaria about 2,6 tons of carbon emissions 

St. Nikola Wind Farm produced 254 384 MWh of energy for the period from January to September 2020. This is 23% more compared to the same period of 2019, an analysis of the production results of the biggest wind farm in Bulgaria showed.

This year, St. Nikola Wind Farm celebrates 10 years since the beginning of its commercial operations. For this period, the wind farm produced for the Bulgarian consumers 3,2 million MWh of clean and reliable energy. At the same time, thanks to the work of St. Nikola Wind Farm, it saved Bulgaria around 2.6 million tons of carbon emissions.

We recall that thanks to its 52 wind turbines with a total installed capacity of 156 MW, St. Nikola Wind Farm supports the fulfillment of the commitments before the EU for 16% of RES in the Bulgarian energy sector. The turbines of St. Nikola Wind Farm produce 20% of the wind energy in the country. The total investment in the project for St. Nikola Wind Farm amounts BGN 540 million, provided as a capital by The AES Corporation and as financing by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Finance Corporation – part of the World Bank.

St. Nikola Wind Farm is the backbone of the Integrated Early Warning System for Bird Protection, which complies with the European requirements for the preservation of wild birds. The integrated system minimizes the risk of bird collisions with the rotating parts of the wind turbines by stopping single turbines or the entire wind farm and implements a monitoring program during the risk periods for species of protection significance. The system integrates information from several radar systems, as well as direct on-site monitoring by ornithologists, who regularly monitor birds in the area, assess potential hazards, and, where necessary, issue turbine shutdown orders. Despite its impressive size – 105 meters and the diameter of the rotor 90 meters, each of the generators can stop if there are flying birds and to let them pass.