POWER September 2023 - 24

TOP PLANT
A Symbol of Courage and
Invincibility: DTEK Completes
Wind Farm Despite War
Courtesy: DTEK Renewables
When a hostile foreign country invades your homeland, many power projects might
fall by the wayside, but for DTEK, providing reliable power to customers and
continuing to develop secure energy resources was part of its wartime mission.
That meant moving forward on a new 114-MW wind farm despite fighting nearby.
The commitment and tenacity of the Ukrainian workforce that constructed the project
helped make it a POWER Top Plant award winner.
Aaron Larson
magine you're in the process of building
a 500-MW wind farm. Phase I involves
constructing 19 wind turbines
with a combined capacity of 114 MW.
You get off to a good start and have six
turbines installed within the first
I
few
months, but then enemy forces invade
your country and advance to within 100
kilometers (62 miles) of your site. At that
point, foreign partners choose to evacuate
staff and equipment, and leave you
holding the bag.
For DTEK Renewables, the operating
company that manages the renewable
energy assets of DTEK Group, the largest
private investor in Ukraine's energy sector,
employees don't have to imagine such a
scenario, they lived through it. DTEK decided
to build the Tyligulska Wind Power Plant
(WPP) in 2020, as part of the company's
strategy to expand its renewables portfolio
from 1 GW to 1.5 GW. Ground was broken
in late 2021 and the first wind turbine was
erected in December that year. However,
DTEK was forced to halt construction with
six turbines installed as enemy forces advanced
on Mykolaiv after Russia's full-scale
invasion in February 2022.
Paused, Not Stopped
Yet, the story doesn't end there. Although
any reasonable observer wouldn't have
faulted DTEK for suspending the project
indefinitely due to the war, the company
wasn't having it. By summer 2022, and
24
with financial support from DTEK shareholder
Rinat Akhmetov, DTEK resumed
the construction with an all-Ukrainian
crew, which reached 650 people at its
peak. Staff worked in bullet-proof vests
and spent more than 300 hours in bomb
shelters from September 2022 through
April this year. They were under the constant
threat of missile strikes; yet, they
persevered through it all.
Phase I was completed triumphantly,
with a grand opening held in May. It was
attended by dozens of guests including
DTEK CEO Maxim Timchenko, regional
authorities, members of the Verkhovna
Rada Committee on Energy and Housing
and Utilities, representatives of the
diplomatic corps, partners, and foreign
and national media. DTEK Renewables
demonstrated 19 working wind turbines
with a total capacity of 114 MW. The
company's team overcame many difficulties
that forged strong bonds within the
group and helped them gain invaluable
experience. The project has already become
a symbol of courage and invincibility
for the company and its people.
" The Tyligulska wind farm is a symbol
of Ukraine's resistance to Russian
attempts to freeze Ukraine into submission, "
Timchenko said at the official
opening. " With projects like Tyligulska,
we can build Ukraine back greener and
cleaner, and become a key partner in Europe's
energy future. And by developing
an infrastructure based on distributed
www.powermag.com
rather [than] centralized generation, we
create an energy supply that is more resilient
and stable. "
Said Akhmetov: " Eleven years ago, we
started building green energy in Ukraine.
We started to change the energy system
of the country. Since then, despite all the
obstacles, we never changed course,
having invested more than 1 billion euros
in solar and wind farms. In 2022, we
had big plans to build a new Tyligulska
wind power plant. However, the Russian
invasion temporarily halted the project.
Today I want to say: we made a decision
to resume the construction of the wind
power plant and the first stage of the station
started working at full capacity. The
war will not stop us. We continue to create
jobs, pay taxes, generate electricity,
restore grids, fight for our energy independence,
and invest in the future. We
will win the war. "
Outside Help
DTEK did have some help. Even though
foreign partners chose to evacuate, they
didn't completely abandon the company.
" Due to military hostilities, DTEK
Renewables had to take on the part of
the EPC [engineering, procurement,
and construction] contractor for the civil
construction part. On their side, Vestas
provided DTEK Renewables with consulting
support and power generating
equipment, " Oleksandr Selyshchev, CEO
of DTEK Renewables, told POWER. " The
POWER | September 2023
http://www.powermag.com
POWER September 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of POWER September 2023
