DTEK boss Maxim Timchenko at the windfarm opening.

Tyligulska windfarm is 60 miles from frontline and was built with workers wearing bullet-proof vests

In a remarkable milestone of determination and resilience, Ukraine’s first windfarm has been officially opened and is generating power.

Despite being built in a major war zone, the first phase of the Tyligulska windfarm, which lies just 60 miles from the frontline of the conflict in the southern region of Mykolaiv, is operational.

The plant’s 19 turbines have an installed capacity of 114 MW and it is one of the first projects to deploy the 6MW Enventus turbines from Danish manufacturer Vestas.

The decision to build Tyligulska was taken in 2020 as part of Ukraine energy company DTEK’s strategy to expand its renewables portfolio.

DTEK chief executive Maxim Timchenko said the Tyligulska wind farm “is a symbol of Ukraine’s resistance to Russian attempts to freeze Ukraine into submission. With projects like Tyligulska, we can build Ukraine back greener and cleaner and become a key partner in Europe’s energy future.

$200m windfarm project

DTEK has invested $200 million in the construction of the first phase of the project. Phase two is intended to add up to 64 turbines to raise the potential output to 500MW.

That would make Tyligulska the largest windpower plant in Eastern Europe.

Tyligulska will play a role in DTEK’s wider plans to achieve net zero emissions by 2040 and help Ukraine become a clean energy exporter to the European Union.

Those plans, says DETEK, remain dependent on it securing an additional $450 million in funding, both from foreign investors and crucially from state-backed international financial institutions.

Ground was broken in late 2021 and the first wind turbine was erected in December 2021. However, DTEK was forced to stop construction after Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

At that point six turbines were installed, but with Russian forces advancing on Mykovaiv, staff and equipment were evacuated.

By summer 2022, and with financial support from DTEK shareholder Rinat Akhmetov, a Ukrainian businessman and founder of System Capital Management, work resumed with an all-Ukrainian crew of 650 people at its peak.

Staff worked in bullet proof vests and spent over 300 hours in bomb shelters from August 2022 until April this year, under the constant threat of missile strikes.

In one and a half years, the team installed 114 MW of generating capacity at twice the usual speed for a project on this scale.

Akhmetov said: “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.”

DTEK chief Timchenko added: “By developing an infrastructure based on distributed rather centralised generation, we are creating an energy supply that is more resilient and stable.”

“DTEK is getting ready for the construction of stage two. The Tyligulska wind farm is our practical step towards developing clean energy in Ukraine and intensifying energy security in Europe.

He said by “having completed phase one, we are sending a signal to our international partners that they can invest in Ukraine today without waiting for the war to end.”