Vestas enters wind energy in Latvia with 14 wind turbines

Marking its entry into the Latvian wind market, Vestas has secured a 59 MW order for the Targale wind farm from a special purpose company majority owned by Utilitas, the Estonian utility provider.

The Targale project is located in the municipality of Ventspils, in western Latvia, and will be powered by 14 V136-4.2 MW wind turbines with a shaft height of 82 m.

With only 65 MW of wind capacity currently installed in Latvia, this project should almost double the total installed capacity in the country, as Latvia advances towards its goal of acquiring 50% of energy from renewable energy sources by 2030. With the country’s wind energy ambitions, Vestas opened its first office in Latvia in April 2021.

Vestas will supply and install the turbines, and service the project through a 20-year long-term Active Output Management 5000 (AOM 5000) service contract, which provides certainty in energy performance and Vestas’ leading service expertise. in the industry throughout the life of the project.

“Our first project with Utilitas also marks Vestas’ arrival in Latvia,” said Nils de Baar, President of Vestas Northern & Central Europe. “We are positive about Latvia as a market and we are delighted to have been selected to provide turbines and long term service on the Targale project. This project can be a benchmark for Latvia’s wind industry as the country moves forward with its strong clean energy performance towards 50% renewable energy penetration by 2030 ”.

“We are delighted to be partnering with Vestas, the largest manufacturer of wind turbines, to build the Targale wind farm together. The explicit technological innovations in terms of efficient and environmentally friendly energy production that Vestas provides will greatly contribute to the renewable energy sector in Latvia. I am convinced that its presence in the Baltic countries will further support the development of wind energy in the region, ”said Rene Tammist, Utilitas Development Manager.

Turbine delivery to the Targale project will begin in the second quarter of 2022 and commissioning will begin in the third quarter of the same year.

To seal off Vestas’ entry into Latvia and service new wind projects such as Targale, plans are also underway to establish a local Vestas service center in Latvia in 2022, near the port of Ventspils.