(Wiesbaden/Athens, 15. February 2021) ABO Wind has sold two large Greek solar farms with a total capacity of 45 megawatts to Blue Elephant Energy AG, an operator of wind and solar farms.
The first project is located in Kossos, near Xanthi, and has a capacity of 7 megawatts. The second one is in Megala Kalyvia, near Trikala, and with a capacity of 38 megawatts, it is the largest renewable energy project ever constructed in the history of ABO Wind. Together, both projects will yield an estimated output of about 80 million kilowatt hours per year. To date, Megala Kalyvia is also the largest operational solar park in Greece.
"We are pleased to announce the acquisition of these two projects, allowing us to enter the promising Greek market, as well as further diversifying our portfolio geographically. Finally, these solar projects will allow us to further contribute to our overarching commitment towards a more sustainable and cleaner energy supply," comments Tim Kallas, Chief Investment Officer of Blue Elephant Energy AG.
ABO Wind had acquired both projects during development in 2018 and finalised the planning, engineering, construction, and grid connection between 2019 and 2020. At Megala Kalyvia, ABO Wind also constructed a new private substation to feed the generated electricity into the high-voltage grid.
“In only a few years, we have become an important part of the Greek renewable energy market,” says ABO Wind’s General Manager Panagiotis Sarris. “With these solar projects, we have proven that we are capable to install even technologically challenging solar parks in record time.”
ABO Wind has been active in Greece since 2017. Currently, the company is working on five additional Greek solar projects in the Epirus region that had won tariffs in a recent tender. Commissioning of these 50 megawatts is scheduled for the first half of 2022. “Greece is a promising market for renewable energies,” says Sarris. “We have increased the number of local employees at our Athens office to eleven, and we have also started developing battery storage projects in the country.”
In the past, ABO Wind had mainly installed smaller solar farms with capacities of 1 to 7 megawatts each. With the 38-megawatt project, the Germany-based company has successfully entered the business segment of large international free-field photovoltaic plants. Worldwide, ABO Wind is currently working on a pipeline of about 5,000 megawatts in solar capacity.
