DRI buys 126 MW of solar in Romania, plans Croatian wind farm

DRI, the green energy unit of Ukraine’s DTEK Croup, is expanding its footprint on the Balkans with the acquisition of a 126-MW solar project in Romania and plans to build a 127.5-MW wind farm in Croatia.

The Amsterdam-based renewables developer said on Tuesday it has bought a photovoltaic (PV) park in southern Romania’s Dambovita county. The purchase has expanded its local renewables portfolio to 239 MW, adding to a 53-MW solar farm in Mures County and a 60-MW wind park in Iasi County.

The Vacaresti solar park is planned to enter construction in the autumn and go online a year later. Its annual output is expected to be around 205.8 GWh, or enough to supply 50,000 homes. Land, grid connection and all necessary permits are in place.

The Dutch firm’s goal is to have 1 GW of renewables capacity operating in Romania by 2028.

A few days earlier, DRI unveiled plans for the construction of a wind farm in Croatia, saying that the project is the first step toward deploying 500 MW of wind and solar capacity in the country by 2028. The scheme will be the company’s first project in Croatia, along with the construction of a 110-kV substation.

The proposed wind farm will be located in Split, Dalmatia County. Dubbed Brda Umovi, the plant is expected to become operational in the autumn of 2026 and generate around 338 GWh of electricity annually, equal to the consumption of about 83,000 homes. Its construction is anticipated to begin next summer, once all permits have been secured. The wind farm will be connected to the new substation, which will have the capacity to connect 300 MW.

DRI said it is keen on signing long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) for the future output and possibly a Contract for Difference (CfD) with the national government.

Choose your newsletter by Renewables Now. Join for free!