War-torn Ukraine signs deal to build second stage of its largest wind farm

War-torn Ukraine has signed a deal with leading wind turbine manufacturer Vestas to build the second stage of what will be the country’s biggest wind project.

The deal signed between Vestas and Ukrainian commercial energy operator DTEK on the sidelines of the COP28 conference in the UAE will see the two companies build out the second phase of the Tyligulska wind project.

The planned 384MW second phase will bring the total capacity of the Tyligulska wind project to 498MW consisting of 83 6MW wind turbines.

The project is located in the Mykolaiv region in southern Ukraine, a region which has seen heavy fighting from the beginning of Russia’s invasion in early 2022, and construction of the first phase was completed in March with workers forced to wear body armour and spend a total of 300 hours in bomb shelters.

Phase 1 of the project began operating in May, at which point the frontline of Ukraine’s fight to repel Russia’s unlawful invasion was only 100 kilometres away.

“We are very pleased to be expanding our partnership with DTEK again and build the Tyligulska project to support the reconstruction of Ukraine’s energy sector and show that Ukraine is open for business,” said Henrik Andersen, CEO of Vestas.

“The project is becoming a reality under extraordinary circumstances, and we look forward to working with DTEK on the final steps towards financial closure.