ECOwind, a subsidiary of BayWa r.e., is selling the Austrian wind farm „Steinberger Alpe and Soboth“ with a capacity of 26 MW to Kelag, a leading energy service provider in Austria. In 2020, Kelag had already purchased the 10 MW wind farm "Orjak" in Croatia from BayWa r.e. The current acquisition is expected to be completed in May.
„Steinberger Alpe and Soboth“, located east of Klagenfurt, is the first wind farm in the province of Carinthia. The eight wind turbines were commissioned in summer 2022 and generate around 60,000 MWh of green electricity annually at a height of 1,400 to 1,600 metres. This corresponds to the average annual consumption of about 13,000 Austrian households.
Johann Janker, Managing Director of ECOwind: „During project development and construction in alpine terrain, our experience from previous projects was of great value. Thanks to an outstanding team performance and the involvement of local stakeholders, we were able to commission the wind farm last summer after only a few weeks of construction.”
In 2020, ECOwind was able to realize its 17.25 MW Fürstkogel wind farm in Austria - one of Europe's largest alpine wind projects.
"We are pleased to sell the wind project ‘Steinberger Alpe and Soboth’ to our longtime partner Kelag," commented Lorenzo Palombi, Global Director of Wind Projects at BayWa r.e. "Austria aims for 100 percent of green electricity supply by 2030, making it to a frontrunner in Europe. With this and future projects, we want to expand our presence in the country and contribute to achieving these climate goals."
BayWa r.e. has already realized a number of innovative renewable energy projects in Austria through its wholly owned subsidiary ECOwind, including Central Europe's largest floating PV plant and a pilot project for agri-PV near Graz. In addition, BayWa r.e. established a PV wholesale subsidiary in the country at the beginning of the year.
Danny Güthlein, member of the Board of Management at Kelag: "In Carinthia, electricity generation from wind energy is developing into an important pillar for the year-round supply of electricity from renewable sources. By building more plants, we can strengthen our independence from fossil fuels and, together with our partner BayWa r.e., contribute to climate protection."
