Italian energy major ENI, through its local renewable subsidiary Arm Wind LLP, inaugurated on March 2 the Badamsha 2 Wind Farm located in the Aktobe Region, Kazakhstan.
The ceremony that was attended by representatives of national, regional and local institutions and the Ambassador of Italy to Kazakhstan, Marco Alberti, ENI said in a press release.
Badamsha 2 Wind Farm was awarded to ENI following an auction managed by the Kazakh Ministry of Energy and entered commercial operation in September 2021, around 12 months after starting construction.
Badamsha 2 Wind Farm is ENI’s second wind project in the Aktobe Region, doubling the installed capacity of Badamsha 1 48 MW Wind Farm that was commissioned in early 2020 and is now in full operation.
According to the Italian energy company, to date the wind turbines of Badamsha 2 are the largest installed in Kazakhstan, both in terms of size (rotor diameter 158 meters, hub 101 meters) and power (4.8 MW each) and are expected to deliver an annual energy generation up to 200 GWh, which is equivalent to the energy consumption of around 37,000 households, and an overall CO2 saving of 173,000 tons per year. Badamsha 2 Wind Farm has also promoted job creation locally, with a peak of 300 people working on the construction site this year.
Following a separate auction in late 2019, Eni was also awarded a 50 MW photovoltaic project in the Turkestan Region, which is currently under construction.
ENI said these projects align with the company’s wider commitment towards the energy transition and decarbonization and will contribute to Kazakhstan’s carbon neutrality target. Arm Wind, which is fully owned by Eni gas e luce – Plenitude (100% ENI), will implement Eni’s strategy in the renewables business, aimed at achieving a balanced and diversified portfolio of up to more than 6 GW of renewables capacity by 2025 and more than 15 GW by 2030.
