Dobrudja, considered to be the area with the most wind potential in Southeast Europe, is now overrun with turbines and has no room for new projects, so the interest of investors from around the world is shifting to the Black Sea. And this is despite the fact that the cost of installing marine turbines is four times higher than land ones. Investors are already knocking on the door: the company has expressed interest in the construction of a huge project with a capacity of 3,000 MW, where it will invest 12 billion euros.

In 2010, a study by Erste Group named Dobrudja as the region with the best wind potential in Southeast Europe, and Le Monde called it Romania’s coastal Eldorado for wind energy.

Meanwhile, more than 3,000 MW of wind farms have been built in Romania, and Transelectrica says it is currently not possible to integrate additional capacity in Dobruja and Banat, especially due to the limited grid.

We have plans in the grid that increase capacity in Dobrudja by 4,000 MW and in Banat by 1,000 MW. Currently, nothing can be integrated into these areas, Bohdan Tonescu, a member of the board of Transelectrica, said last week at the ZF Energy conference.

He noted that the Black Sea is the “new Dobrudja” for wind farm investors.

“This will happen when offshore wind farms begin to be installed. At the moment, they are talking about at least 3,000 MW,” Tonescu says.

According to a World Bank report, Romania’s offshore wind potential is 76 GW (76,000 MW). 22 GW in the form of stationary turbines and 54 GW in the form of floating turbines).

What opportunities and challenges do investors find in the Black Sea

“They are talking about the potential of more than 70 GW. Of course, the wind on the Romanian side of the Black Sea is blowing with a potential of more than 70 GW, but we cannot install wind turbines everywhere,” says Oana Ijdelea, managing partner of Ijdelea si Asociații, a legal and consulting firm involved in the 3,000 MW project in the Black Sea.

“We have to see which areas can actually be installed with turbines. We have a large area of ​​protected areas, especially the area near the coast, which is mostly a Natura 2000 site. Likewise, the seabed is mostly an archaeological site. In addition, we have prohibitions of a military nature, as well as tourist and fishing zones. “The real potential is probably 10,000 MW, that’s both floating and foundation turbines,” she added.

The investment required for 1,000 MW of offshore wind in the Black Sea is €4 billion, four times more than for onshore turbines.

If at the moment we had all the necessary legislation for these projects, maybe in five years we will see the first wind turbines in the Black Sea, says Ijdelea.

“We are already working on a project that could become the first offshore wind project in Romania with a capacity of 3,000 MW. We are talking about one investor who planned to implement this capacity. At today’s market prices, this is an investment of 12 billion euros.”

Offshore wind legislation is not until next year

The Romanian authorities have made several attempts to legislate for the offshore wind farm sector by passing draft laws at various stages in parliament.

The Ministry of Energy also initiated the draft law, which is currently under interdepartmental agreement, must be approved by the Government, and later – for discussion and voting in the Verkhovna Rada.

In early October, Energy Minister Sebastien Bourduilla said that the project would be approved “next week” by the government, but two months have passed since then, and this has not happened.​

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