BRI helps construct wind farm in Croatia

The Senj wind farm, a project emerging from the Belt and Road Initiative and the largest wind electricity infrastructure in Croatia, has become a valuable asset in the local economy and residents' lives, according to the project's chief engineer.

Zlatko Prpic said the wind farm, located near his hometown of Senj on the Adriatic coast of western Croatia, has been in trial operation since the completion of construction work in November 2021 and has since generated about 530 million kilowatt-hours of green electricity.

Once it comes into full operation, the project will produce about 530 million kilowatt-hours of electricity each year and reduce Croatia's annual carbon dioxide emissions by about 460,000 metric tons, according to him.

"The wind power project has brought endless green electricity to my hometown of Senj and my country. Through the project, I have a much more real feeling for the Belt and Road Initiative, "Prpic told China Daily on Wednesday in Beijing.

"The combination of Chinese technologies and equipment and the abundant wind energy resources in Senj has made a better life for the Croatian people. The Belt and Road Initiative is a road of prosperity and green development."

The 64-year-old recalled that building a wind farm in his hometown of Senj had been a personal wish of the veteran engineer for many years.

"In 2010, I took part in the planning and design work for a 156-megawatt-capacity wind power project in Senj, and I treated this project as if it were my own child. However, for various reasons, the project never got off the ground. It was the Chinese company Norinco International that made my dream come true," he said.

Shan Jun, general manager of Norinco International, the major contractor and builder of the Senj wind farm, said his engineers had overcome a host of difficulties in this project such as different technical standards, challenging mountainous terrain as well as impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.

More than 70 companies from across Croatia participated in the wind farm's construction, and at its busiest moment about 500 people were working on the site each day, with more than half of them from Croatia, he said.

The executive noted the Chinese team will continue to cooperate with local partners to complete the project's final quality checks and will also strive to promote clean-energy solutions among Croatia's neighboring countries.

At a ceremony in Zagreb in December 2021 to mark the opening of the wind farm's trial run, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said the project would contribute to Croatia's green transition.

The 39 wind turbines and their total annual output would make an important contribution to total electricity production in Croatia. The project will also contribute to the active use of renewable energy sources, the prime minister said.