The company Latvijas vēja parki LLC, which is jointly owned by Latvenergo JSC and Latvian State Forests JSC, may start producing electricity in 2026, as confirmed by the company’s board chairperson Ilvija Boreiko.
She says that in 2026 the electrical company plans to commence operations if the situation allows it.
Latvian wind turbine parks have to be able to produce 2.4 TWh of electricity annually.
According to Boreiko, this will require 100 to 120 wind turbines manufacturers offer for such forest projects. However, it would not be wise to «get ahead of ourselves» – first it is important to complete wind measurements in specific locations.
Only once measurements are done it will be possible to tell how many and which kinds of wind turbines are needed.
Boreiko revealed turbines will not be based in one specific location. The reason is, first of all, there isn’t enough space to put all turbines in one place. A lot also depends on connection to power lines.
«We have 110 kV lines and 330 kV lines to which we can connect our turbine parks. These lines have different connection costs. This is one of the critical elements that dictates how many turbines it is economically viable to put in any specific place. Then there are the aforementioned environmental aspects,» said Boreiko.
The procurement of turbines is planned to be completed in 2024, according to the current schedule.
Before then, however, it is necessary to make preparations, such as evaluation of the impact on the environment, which could take a long time in certain locations.
Boreiko says there is no cause for concern over supplies of turbines. Manufacturers have told the company that although the interest for turbines is up, the company can manufacture enough turbines over the course of the year.
This is largely related to the fact that the wind turbine park project development cycle in nearly all European countries is rather long – two to five years. With that, manufacturers are able to predict the volume of orders. The are prepared for an increase in demand.
The company Latvijas vēja parki was registered on 22 July 2022. The company’s base capital, according to data from Firmas.lv, is EUR 2 million. 80% of the company’s capital shares are owned by Latvenergo and 20% by LVM.
On 21 June 2022 Latvia’s Cabinet of Minister permitted Latvenergo and LVM to found a joint company in order to create wind energy parks of strategic importance.
The project’s goal is reaching up to 800 MWh output in all major wind turbine parks across Latvia.
This output will be equal to the power produced by Latvia’s biggest hydro electric power plant – Pļaviņu HES.
On 22 February 2022 Latvia’s Cabinet of Ministers supported the proposal from the Ministry of Economics to create new wind turbine parks of strategic importance on territories owned by the state. This task was entrusted to Latvenergo and LVM joint company.