The Ukrainian government has given its approval to partner with the German energy company Notus Energy to construct a wind farm within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ). A collaborative memorandum has been signed by both entities to create a wind farm capable of generating up to 1GW of power, sufficient to meet the electricity demands of approximately 800,000 households.
The CEZ, situated around 130km north of Kyiv, has remained mostly abandoned since the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986. While specific details regarding the facility’s size are undisclosed, the CEZ encompasses an area with an approximate radius of 30km.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources has noted that this development will contribute to the nation’s energy independence and create new employment opportunities in the region. Oleksandr Krasnolutskyi, Ukraine’s deputy ecology minister, emphasized that transforming the Chernobyl zone into a recovery area had been a strategic goal even before the conflict began, and the partnership with Notus Energy sets a positive example for international investors interested in the potential of the exclusion zone for renewable energy and environmentally friendly solutions.
Hannes Helm, the head of project development in Ukraine for Notus Energy Group, expressed the significance of this endeavor, stating that a wind farm of this magnitude would greatly bolster Ukraine’s renewable energy sector, enhancing energy self-sufficiency and decentralization. The aim is to contribute to the reconstruction and transformation of Ukraine’s energy supply.
In a notable context, the ministry underscored that, amid the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine, the region affected by the nuclear disaster four decades ago could become a symbol of clean, climate-friendly energy, providing Kyiv with green electricity.