Ukraine’s DTEK Announces €450 Million Expansion of Tyligulska Wind Power Plant

DTEK, Ukraine’s leading private energy company, revealed a €450 million investment to expand its Tyligulska Wind Power Plant near the Black Sea coast. This was announced on January 22, 2025, during the World Economic Forum’s ‘Securing Ukraine’s Energy Future’ session.

This expansion will increase the plant’s capacity from 114 MW to 500 MW, marking the largest private-sector investment in Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

The project involves acquiring 64 wind turbines from Danish manufacturer Vestas. To finance this, DTEK has secured €370 million in loans backed by Denmark’s Export and Investment Fund (EIFO), with the remaining funds provided by DTEK.

Construction is set to accelerate this year, with completion expected by the end of 2026. Once fully operational, the Tyligulska Wind Power Plant will generate approximately 1.7 TWh of electricity annually, sufficient to power 900,000 Ukrainian households.

First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko emphasized that the energy sector has suffered over 1,200 attacks since 2022, targeting substations, power lines, and gas infrastructure. Despite these challenges, the sector has shown resilience, with ongoing recovery efforts. She highlighted the new wind power project as a symbol of resilience and recovery, marking one of the largest energy sector investments in independent Ukraine.

European Commissioner Dan Jørgensen reaffirmed the European Union’s solidarity with Ukraine, noting that EU and member states' support for Ukraine’s energy security amounts to at least €2 billion since February 2022.

This support includes financing transformers, mobile gas turbines, and repairs to existing equipment. He outlined three key priorities: ensuring a safe and secure energy supply, advancing Ukraine’s integration into the EU energy market, and decarbonizing energy systems.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the country’s energy infrastructure has suffered extensive damage. By the end of May 2024, approximately 70% of Ukraine’s thermal generation capacity was either occupied or damaged, and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which previously supplied about 25% of Ukraine’s electricity, remained under Russian control. Additionally, around half of Ukrenergo’s very high voltage substations were damaged by missiles and drones.

On August 26, 2024, Russia launched over 200 missiles and drones in one of its largest aerial assaults on Ukraine, targeting energy infrastructure and causing power outages for 8 million households. Kyiv faced its first unscheduled blackout since November 2022.