Wind Power

The use of wind energy is one of the oldest known ways of harnessing energy from the environment and has been applied since ancient times. Nowadays, onshore and offshore (sea-based) wind energy technologies are successfully employed worldwide.

Wind is a local, environmentally friendly source of energy. Generating electricity from wind energy does not produce greenhouse gas emissions and does not pollute the air. Each new turbine reduces Ukraine’s energy imports and dependence on volatile fossil fuel prices and helps minimise electricity bills.

Wind is becoming an increasingly stable form of energy sourcing. New onshore wind farms are currently operating at 30-45% capacity factor, and new offshore wind farms are operating at over 50%. This indicator of wind energy technology exceeds other renewable energy technologies. The unit capacity of wind turbines installed at industrial wind farms in Ukraine ranges from 3 MW to 6 MW. The sector of small-scale wind power generation is also developing – wind turbines with a capacity of 1 kW to 5 kW, installed by private households, are becoming more common.

In addition to being environmentally friendly, wind energy is the cheapest form of electricity generation in most European countries. In Ukraine, the “green” tariff for wind energy is the lowest among all renewable generation technologies! A cost-effective way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and meet climate goals by 2050! Another advantage of wind energy technology is that the land on which wind power plants are located can also be used for agriculture and other purposes.

The total area of territories which are ideal for the construction and operation of wind power plants in Ukraine exceeds 7,000-9,000 km2. Wind resources are unevenly distributed over the territory of Ukraine: the wind potential is much higher in the south of the country than in the north. The most attractive territories for the development of wind energy are the coasts of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, the southern coast of Crimea, certain territories of the Ukrainian Carpathians, the Crimean Mountains, as well as the Donbas region. In addition to the development of onshore wind energy, the geographical location of Ukraine is ideal for establishing offshore wind energy capacities.

According to the Institute of Renewable Energy of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the total capacity potential of wind power plants (WPP) in Ukraine exceeds 680 GW, more than a third of which – 250 GW – is the potential of offshore wind power plants. The steppe zone is the most attractive for onshore wind farm installation.

So far, only onshore wind turbines are being built and operating in Ukraine. Yet the country also has significant prospects for offshore wind energy: the shallow water areas of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, the Dnieper Reservoir cascade and the Dniester Reservoirs, the Syvash Bay and others make it possible to build economically efficient offshore wind farms. This is evidenced by World Bank research. All the above indicators undeniably prove the Ukrainian wind energy sector is highly attractive.

For the harmonious development of renewable energy in Ukraine and the implementation of the RED II EU Directive, the State Energy Efficiency Agency has developed a Draft National Renewable Energy Action Plan Until 2030. It sets a new goal of a threefold increase in the share of renewable energy in the gross final energy consumption: from 9% in 2020 to 27% in 2030. In particular, the wind energy sector is forecast to increase capacity by 3.7 GW (to the level of 5.4 GW in 2030), which will ensure electricity production of up to 17.8 TWh in 2030.

The Russian invasion and temporary occupation of a part of Ukrainian territory deprived the country of a significant share of the green energy generation. As mentioned above, the best wind capacities are in the south of the country. Unfortunately, these territories were occupied by the enemy in the first month of the war, and it is where active hostilities are currently taking place. Therefore, wind power plants located in the part of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions had to cease operating due to concerns for the safety of the personnel.

According to the Ukrainian Wind Energy Association, as of December 31, 2022, about 1,317 MW of wind energy capacities have been shut down, which is almost 75% of the total wind energy capacities installed as of the end of 2022. In addition, there is evidence that 10 wind turbines have been damaged. The number of damaged wind turbines may turn out to be higher, but currently, wind turbine operators do not have access to most wind turbine sites located in the territories occupied by the Russian aggressor.

It is impossible to stop the growing momentum of wind energy development and contrary to all the rules of war the construction of wind farms continues bit by bit. In 2022, 81.6 MW of new wind power capacity was added to Ukraine’s energy system. Of course, development happens in the regions where there are no active hostilities.

As of December 31, 2022, the installed wind power capacity is 1,754.5 MW. The share of wind energy in the total installed capacity of the renewable energy sector of Ukraine is 17.7%.

Aside from attracting investments, the wind energy sector contributes to the state and local budgets of Ukraine. According to the survey conducted by Ukrainian Wind Energy Association member companies, in 2021 wind energy generating companies alone transferred about 3.16 billion hryvnias (*over 78 million euros) in the form of taxes to Ukraine’s national budget. Since 2015, the employment rate in the national wind energy sector has increased significantly, and as of the end of 2021, wind energy companies had about 1,000 employees, of which 28% were women. It is worth noting that wind energy creates new jobs in other sectors of the economy as well, including the engineering industry, construction, design, transportation, law firms, etc. In general, the number of people directly and indirectly involved in the development of the wind energy sector is over 3,000.