Harnessing The Wind. How the Czech MND Group is Enhancing Energy Independence in Ukraine

Partially restoring wind energy facilities in Ukraine is made possible by Czech investors, notably MND, which is part of the KKCG investment group. Earlier this year, in partnership with the Ukrainian company Ekooptyma, they launched a wind plant featuring ten 100-meter turbines in the mountainous region in Lviv. Dive into insights of the Oriv project cost and the challenges faced during its implementation in the Forbes BrandVoice explainer.

Overcoming Obstacles

Construction of the Oriv Wind Farm (Oriv WF) in the Lviv Region commenced in September 2021, with the main stage of work taking place in early 2022. ʼWhen the full-scale war began in Ukraine, some foreign companies refused to send specialists or deliver equipment — even those who had received advance payments. Instead, they offered to store the equipment for free in Germany,ʼ explains Stepan Kozytskyi, a representative of Ekooptyma. ʼWe began searching for alternative transport companies but found no one willing to travel to Ukraine due to safety fears.ʼ

These challenges didn’t discourage MND about its investment; instead, they opted to redesign their logistics. Hundreds of oversized trucks traveled from Germany and Poland to the Krakowiec border crossing, where foreign carriers transferred the delivery to Ukrainian ones. From there, the shipment was sent to its destination in the foothills of the Carpathians.

According to MND specialists, the most challenging part of the expedition was the final stretch of the road. Due to the large dimensions of the loads — some reaching lengths of 72 meters and weighing up to 80 tons — the vehicles had restricted turning radii. A new, more direct road was even constructed for equipment delivery, providing a significant benefit to residents. Once all the necessary equipment was finally delivered, a team of Ukrainian specialists assembled it and put the wind station into operation.

Due to these logistical issues, Oriv WF opened two years later than originally planned, with the original arget launch date of August 2022.

ʼRussian aggression delayed, but did not halt construction.ʼ

Jana Hamršmídová, the CEO of MND Group’s energy division

ʼWe did not abandon Ukraine in 2014 when the war began in the east region, and we continue to support it todayʼ, Lukáš Svozil, MND Ukraine’s country director continued. ʼIn addition to our ongoing exploration for and production of natural gas in several fields across Ukraine — from Lviv to Poltava — we are really pleased to diversify our energy output in Ukraine with renewables, and wind power is now feeding the grid from Oriv.ʼ 

The First Steps Towards Energy Independence

The planned capacity of the station was 55 MW. However, software modifications and technological advancements allowed an additional 4.4 MW, bringing the total capacity of the Oryv Wind Power Plant to nearly 60 MW. ʼWe expect the annual output to be around 140 million kWh,ʼ Svozil added. ʼThis will cover the electricity consumption of more than 50,000 households in the Lviv region and meet 5% of its energy needs.ʼ

Officials state this wind power plant could improve the situation during potential blackouts. ʼThe energy system in Ukraine is unified, but the more decentralized sources of electricity there are, the more likely it is that the areas where they are installed will have power. This wind generation will strengthen the energy independence of the Lviv Region,ʼ asserts Maksym Kozytskyi, head of the Lviv Regional Military Administration.

The Oriv WF’s total project cost was €75 million, with Czech investors contributing half of that amount. MND Group is already working on new projects, aiming to triple its capacity by 2027 to provide alternative energy sources for approximately 150,000 households.