Italian energy company Eni took an investment decision on Tuesday to build, develop and operate the 50-megawatt Badamsha wind farm located in northwest Kazakhstan.
The company took the final investment decision on the project, which represents the first large-scale, investment in wind technology abroad for the company, according to the press release.
The wind farm will provide the region with an annual power generation of about 198 gigawatt-hours.
Eni also reported that the construction works of the plant located in the Aktobe Oblast would start in the coming months with plans to have the commercial operations and connection to the grid by the end of 2019.
'The Badamsha project represents the first material step of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Eni, General Electric (GE) and the Minister of Energy, Kanat Bozumbayev, to promote the development of renewable energy projects in Kazakhstan. Last June, Eni signed a number of strategic cooperation agreements both in the upstream and renewable energy sectors with the aim of supporting the sustainable economic growth of the country,' the press release said.
Eni’s current renewable energy portfolio includes investments of €1.2 billion over the next four years in solar, wind and hybrid projects worldwide, according to the company.
Eni has been present in Kazakhstan since 1992. The company is a joint operator of the Karachaganak field and is an equity partner in various projects in the Northern Caspian Sea, including the giant Kashagan field. In 2018, Eni became the joint operator in the exploration block Isatay, with Kazakhstan's national company KazMunayGas (KMG).
By Muhsin Baris Tiryakioglu
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr