Estonian energy company Enefit has opened two wind farms near Kelmė, Lithuania, adding 167 MW of renewable capacity to the Baltic grid after a €324M investment.
The Kelmė I wind farm (80 MW) has been generating electricity for some time, while the newly commissioned Kelmė II adds a further 87 MW. Together, the two wind farms are expected to generate around 530 GWh annually — equivalent to the average yearly consumption of a city the size of Šiauliai.
Generation plus storage
Earlier, Enefit announced plans to install 16 MW and 18 MW of battery energy storage systems at the two sites, with plans to invest more than €30M in energy storage across its Lithuanian wind farm portfolio.
“Kelmė shows how we see the future of the electricity business: renewable generation needs to be combined with flexibility and storage,” said Gerrit Mäesalu, CEO of Enefit OÜ. “With 167 MW of wind capacity and battery storage being added at both wind farms, we can respond better to changes in generation, demand and market conditions. For Enefit, the value lies not only in adding new generation capacity, but also in managing generation and flexibility as one portfolio.”
Strengthening Lithuania’s energy independence
Donatas Celešius, Member of the Management Board of Enefit OÜ, framed the investment as part of Lithuania’s broader push for domestic generation. “The more electricity we produce locally, the less dependent we are on imports and fluctuations in international energy markets. This strengthens Lithuania’s energy self-sufficiency and resilience,” he said.
Lithuania’s Vice Minister of Energy Ignas Junevičius echoed that view: “Projects such as the Kelmė wind farms strengthen our energy independence and help ensure that an increasing share of the electricity Lithuania needs is generated domestically.”
Following the Kelmė commissioning, Enefit now operates nine wind farms in Lithuania with a combined capacity of more than 400 MW.
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