On Russia’s remotest Arctic coast, a wind power plant takes shape

Preparations are underway for the erection of wind turbines in the town of Tiksi.

The town located on the Russian Arctic coast, where the River Lena runs into the Laptev Sea, will soon be charged with green energy from wind power generators.

In a first development phase, three turbines, each with a capacity of 300 MWh will be placed on site. The plan is to have the park up and running between 2017 and 2018, according to regional authorities in Yakutia.

The Japanese company Komaihaltec Inc. will build the wind park. Investments are provided by Mitsui & Co.

The winds in Tiksi can reach up to 35 meters per second (nearly 80 mph). The average wind in the area is 5.8 m/s (about 13 mph), local authorities say.

A Japanese delegation was on site early March this year to assess the location, Yakutsk.ru reports. The best place with the most suitable ground has now been identified, the wind park developers say. The three turbines are to erected on a site a few kilometers from the Tiksi town.

Like major parts of the Yakutia region, Tiksi is today dependent of energy produced by expensive diesel fuel.

“Therefore, the republic is constantly looking for alternative energy sources, and first of all wind and solar power”, regional leader Yegor Borisov says in a press release.

Tiksi is the administrative center of the Bulunsky District, Sakha Republic. It is located on the shore of the Buor-Khaya Gulf of the Laptev Sea, not far from the Lena River delta. The settlement has a population of about 4,500.