Petrom, the biggest local company and the only producer ofpetroleum and gas in Romania, has joined the European energy giantswith billions of euros in budgets, buying a wind farm project inwhich it will invest 100 million euros until 2011. Compared withthe projects announced thus far, the size of the wind farm thatPetrom will develop in Dobrogea, 45 MW, is not very impressive, butthere is a hint in the step taken by the company.
"This is a signal that investments must continue. Investmentsare the factor that helps the economy rebound. In addition, thereare opportunities on the market and prices are better compared with2008," says Mariana Gheorghe, Petrom's chief executive, who runs a3 billion-euro business.
A total of 13 billion euros were invested in wind power projectsin Europe last year, with Romania missing yet another opportunityto create jobs and bring new money into the economy while thecrisis was going on, with only 3 MW installed locally, that is aturbine and a half.
Things seem set to drastically change in 2010, given that CEZ(Czech Republic) alone will have 139 turbines running by autumn.Spain's Iberdrola, worldwide wind power leader, says that it willbuild the world's biggest wind farm in Dobrogea by 2017, whosecapacity will stand at 1,500 MW, which is higher than that of tworeactors of the Cernavoda nuclear plant. The two projects aloneentail investments of over 3 billion euros, double the budget theTransport Ministry has for motorways and national roads in oneyear. Other wind power investors include Enel (Italy), Verbund(Austria) and Energias de Portugal.
Pentru alte știri, analize, articole și informații din business în timp real urmărește Ziarul Financiar pe WhatsApp Channels
