Italians see good potential for wind development in Romania

Several Italian wind developers are investigating opportunities in the Romanian wind market, including major utility ENEL, renewable energy company Inergia and wind developer Asja Ambiente Italia. ENEL already has a 25 MW wind plant under development in Tulcea, but is looking at further greenfield development and acquisition opportunities. Romania is "a nation with a clear remuneration mechanism, there are good relations between Italy and Romania and there is wind," says the utility's Maurizio Bezzeccheri. Romania's imminent entry into the European Union, good electricity distribution structure and low grid connection costs, as well as the existence of strong conditions for project financing are other factors driving interest. Inergia, which is only just working on its first wind project in Italy, says it hopes to develop around 100 MW in Romania through its wind power development unit, Land Power. Similarly, Asja hopes to increase its presence in the country, which currently amounts to a single 850 kW turbine, says the company's Carlo Vigna Taglianti. Although he says it is difficult to estimate at present what Asja's potential capacity in Romania would be or indeed the potential of the market as a whole, the wind market looks "very promising," he says. Under a 2003 agreement with the province of Prohova, Asja installed the 850 kW Vestas turbine at the Proletski industrial park. It became operational in January 2005.