11/02/2016

Georgia’s first full-scale wind farm reaches financial close

The US$34 million Gori onshore wind farm, located approximately 70km west of Tbilisi in Georgia, has successfully achieved financial close. Mott MacDonald is lenders’ technical advisor on the project and will now monitor construction and operations in an ongoing role.

The 20.7MW wind farm will be the first full-scale wind farm in Georgia. It will comprise six Vestas V117 wind turbines, each with a 3.45MW capacity and total tip height of 150m. The turbines will be connected to the national power grid at an existing 220kV substation near the city of Gori.

Mott MacDonald has been working on the scheme since the middle of 2015. During this time, the consultancy has provided input on important aspects of the development such as expected annual energy yield, construction management interfaces and contractual arrangements with the national grid operator.

Jon Campbell-Copp, Mott MacDonald’s project manager, said: “This project sets an important precedent for development in the region. Working closely with the project sponsor and lenders, we were able to develop solutions to mitigate potential challenges encountered during the financing and construction stages.”

Gori wind farm is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2016.