|
Mitsubishi catches the winds of the west |
|
|
|
|
Written by Energy Current
|
|
Wednesday, 13 August 2008 |
Bulgaria's first wind farm, built by Kaliakra Wind Power AD (KWP), has began generating electric power to
be sold to the country's state electricity board. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) coordinated
construction of the farm and will participate in its operation in conjunction with the Bulgarian engineering
firm inos Ltd.
KWP was formed in late 2005 with MHI holding a 70 percent stake and the remaining 30 percent being held by inos Ltd. KWP is the first investment into Bulgarian power generation by a Japanese company. It is the second of its kind for MHI, however. MHI began an investment project with AES Energia Catagena S.R.L., Spain, in 2003 and commenced commercial operations in 2006. Each wind turbine on the Bulgarian KWP farm has a rated power output of 1,000 kW, and all were manufactured at MHI's Nagasaki Shipyard and Machinery Works, or Yokohama Machinery Works. The KWP wind farm, located on the Black Sea coast, has the capacity to generate 35 MW of electricity. The project is intended to reduce greenhouse gases, in line with the Kyoto Mechanisms framework. Bulgaria, in keeping with EU membership protocol, aims to meet 11 percent of its total energy consumption needs with renewable energy by 2010. MHI began investing in the KWP project prior to Bulgaria's EU admission in January 2007.
The project is hoped to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by around 85,000 tonnes annually. From the emission credits obtained through the KWP project, 350,000 tonnes will be sold to Japan Carbon Finance Ltd. and MHI will purchase any surplus credit beyond this figure.
MHI states that the company "aims to vigorously develop more business schemes geared toward acquisition of carbon emission credits." The company intends to expand its participation in power generation, while further strengthening its marketing of wind turbines in Europe. |
|
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 02 September 2008 )
|
