Italian utility Enel buys up Romanian developer Blue Line acquiring potential 200 MW

Italian utility Enel has acquired Romanian wind developer Blue Line for an undisclosed sum. Blue Line, based in Bistrita, is developing wind farm projects in Romania's Dogobrea region with a future potential capacity of 200 MW. "Romania is a market that interests us for a variety of reasons," says Roberto Deambrogio, who heads Enel's renewables business development outside Italy. "To begin with, there are good wind resources that haven't yet been exploited. In the areas we're talking about the sites offer between 2400 and 2800 operational hours a year." At the same time, Deambrogio says the current incentive system -- which is based on a mandated market share for renewables achievable through trade of green energy certificates -- is generally seen as attractive. "And it seems that it is going to be improved," he adds. The Blue Line acquisition fits in with Enel's strategy of acquiring greenfield operations in which it can add value with its technical expertise in the wind business, continues Deambrogio. The owners of Blue Line, brothers Darius and Dacian Nath, will continue to work with Enel to develop its project portfolio, in particular by helping Enel through the site authorisation process. Aside from the collaboration with Enel, the Nath brothers are continuing their own wind development business in Romania through a company called Blue Line Energy. Under this umbrella they have a further 200-300 MW in development, both in Dogobrea and elsewhere in Romania. "It is not clear if it will be closer to 200 or 300 because some projects are now being expanded," says Darius Nath. Should additional projects be added to Blue Line Energy's development pipeline, they will be offered first to Enel, he adds. Nath says installed wind capacity in Romania has reached about 7 MW. The government has estimated that up to 14,000 MW could eventually be installed in the country.