https://fena.ba/article/1291988/ivovik-wind-park-to-start-its-operation-next-year-and-will-be-the-largest-in-bih
The use of wind energy is progressing rapidly all over the world, including in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where Chinese investors are investing 130 million euros in the Ivovik wind farm, the construction of which is currently being carried out in the area of Tomislavgrad and Livno, while completion is planned for mid 2023.
Liu Jiachen, Assistant General Manager and Director of the Engineering Department, told FENA that this wind farm, when construction is completed, will be the largest in our country.
"The Ivovik wind farm has an installed capacity of 84 MW, and consists of 20 wind turbines, each of which has a capacity of 4.2 MW. After the construction is finished, it will be the largest wind farm in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We assume that the annual production of electricity will be 260 GWh per year, which will be enough for more than 100 thousand households," explained Jiachen.
He believes that this project will significantly help our country to adjust its energy structure and ensure enough clean energy in the network.
"We started the construction of this project in July of this year and it took four months to complete more than half of the construction works, including the local road. So far we have completed almost half of the foundation. Our next goal is to complete the first series of tower installations," he added.
As Jiachen stated, the Chinese companies PowerChina and Genertec have jointly invested in this project.
"We believe that this project will be a good example for Chinese and Bosnian companies. During the construction of the project, we also employed a lot of local subcontractors and employees who were involved in the construction. For example, iron, concrete and other materials are supplied by local contractors, and the main part of the work is also done by local employees. Therefore, this project also provides a lot of jobs to the local community and I think it brings benefits to the local society," he said.
Jiachen underlines that 40 local employees are currently working on the project, 60 of them in total, while more than 100 people will be employed at the peak of the project.
Speaking about the procedure and permits, Jiachen revealed that they had difficulties in the beginning.
"We really had difficulty getting used to the procedure and familiarizing ourselves with all the permits we need to get in this country, but we had great support and help from many local agencies, legal advisors, and financial and accounting agencies. They gave us a lot of support, they clarified the procedure that we followed step by step and we got all the necessary permits to start construction," he pointed out.
FENA journalists visited the construction site and on that occasion also visited the part where the substation of this wind power plant is being built.
Ivovik wind farm was announced as the largest investment in renewable energy sources in BiH so far. At the 2021 Summit of China and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEEC), it was mentioned as a result of cooperation. There are numerous benefits that this project will contribute to the local community, including environmental and economic, by employing local labor wherever possible.
To date, three wind farms have been built in BiH so far, namely two in the area of Tomislavgrad and one in the area of Podveležje near Mostar. In addition, several wind parks are still being built in our country in the region of Herzegovina and in the entity of Republika Srpska.
The future is focused on renewable energy sources, which is why wind farms are becoming one of the main sources, and with the construction of wind parks in Bosnia and Herzegovina, our country is moving towards the goals of the European Union, which adopted the European Green Package, that is, an initiative in the field of policies that aims to ensure a green transition, whereby the ultimate goal is to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.