Dubrovnik Firm Files to Repower Šibenik Wind Farm After Two Decades

Vjetroelektrana Trtar Krtolin, a Dubrovnik-registered company, has submitted a formal environmental impact assessment request to the relevant Croatian ministry to repower the Trtar-Krtolin wind farm near Šibenik.

Erected by wpd in 2006, the site runs 14 Enercon E-48 turbines rated at 800 kW each, with 48-metre rotors on 50-metre towers and a combined output of 11.2 MW. It holds the distinction of being Croatia’s second-oldest wind facility, following only Ravne 1 — a 5.95 MW project that came online two years earlier. The contrast between those original machines and today’s turbine standards illustrates how sharply unit capacity has risen over two decades.

The repowering scheme, as reported by Balkan Green Energy News, envisages replacing the 14 existing turbines with at most five new units rated as high as 6 MW apiece. The proposal also covers a battery energy storage system with a power output ceiling of 10 MW and a capacity ceiling of 20 MWh, intended to absorb surplus generation and release it when the power system runs a generation deficit.

Under EU directives on renewable repowering, the environmental review is scoped only to changes relative to the original project, not a full reassessment from scratch. The investor’s stated objective is to extend the facility’s operational lifespan after the turbine swap.

Separately, wpd disclosed in 2023 plans to develop a solar plant at its Katuni wind farm elsewhere in Croatia.

Source: Balkan Green Energy News