Enefit officially opens two wind farms near Kelmė

On 29 September, independent energy company Enefit officially inaugurated the Kelmė I and Kelmė II, near Kelmė, Lithuania. Together, the two projects add 167 MW of renewable generation capacity to Lithuania’s electricity grid. Enefit invested approximately EUR 324 million in the developments.

Enefit’s first wind farm in the area, Kelmė I, with a capacity of 80 MW, has already been generating electricity for some time. The newly commissioned Kelmė II wind farm adds a further 87 MW of capacity. Together, the two wind farms are expected to generate around 530 GWh of electricity annually, equivalent to the average yearly consumption of a city the size of Šiauliai.

Earlier this year, Enefit announced plans to install 16 MW and 18 MW battery energy storage systems at the sites.

Gerrit Mäesalu, CEO of Enefit OÜ, emphasized the growing role of renewable energy and smart energy solutions in the region:

“Kelmė shows how we see the future of the electricity business: renewable generation needs to be combined with flexibility and storage. With 167 MW of wind capacity and battery storage being added at both wind farms, we can respond better to changes in generation, demand and market conditions. For Enefit, the value lies not only in adding new generation capacity, but also in managing generation and flexibility as one portfolio,” said Gerrit Mäesalu, CEO of Enefit OÜ.

Combining renewable electricity generation with energy storage will enable the company not only to produce green electricity but also to store it during periods of lower demand and release it when needed, contributing to a more stable electricity supply in the region. Enefit plans to invest more than EUR 30 million in energy storage systems across its wind farm portfolio in Lithuania in the near future.

According to Donatas Celešius, Member of the Management Board of Enefit OÜ responsible for business development in the Baltics and Poland, bringing projects of this scale into operation strengthens Lithuania’s domestic electricity generation and contributes to greater energy independence.

“Investments in the Kelmė projects represent an important step in our ongoing journey towards energy independence. These wind farms significantly increase domestic electricity generation in Lithuania. The more electricity we produce locally, the less dependent we are on imports and fluctuations in international energy markets. This strengthens Lithuania’s energy self-sufficiency and resilience,” said Celešius.

“Lithuania’s energy direction is clear: more domestic electricity generation, more renewable energy sources, more energy storage, and more flexibility solutions. Projects such as the Kelmė wind farms strengthen our energy independence and help ensure that an increasing share of the electricity Lithuania needs is generated domestically,” says Vice Minister of Energy Ignas Junevičius.

Following the commissioning of the Kelmė projects, Enefit now operates nine wind farms in Lithuania with a combined capacity of more than 400 MW.

Photographer: Rytis Seskaitis