Black Sea wind

Czech power utility the CEZ Group is to fund the construction of the largest onshore wind farm in Europe at a cost of €1.1bn.

Czech power utility the CEZ Group will fund the €1.1bn (£0.88bn) construction of the largest onshore wind farm in Europe.

The company said it plans to locate the farm in the Dobrogea province of Romania, north of Constanta, about 17km from the Black Sea.

The farm will be constructed over the next three years.

By the end of 2009, the company hopes to be generating 347.5MW of power, with an additional 252.5MW coming on-stream by the end of 2010.

Once it becomes fully operational, the wind farm will represent almost 30 per cent of the renewable market in Romania.

It is the first significant wind project to be realised in Romania, which today has only 7MW of operational wind energy production.

Continental Wind Partners (CWP) will manage the construction of the wind farm, which will be built by major international construction firms.