Outside the small town of Seni on the Adriatic Sea coast in western Croatia, the mountains are verdant, with white wind turbines standing at the top of the mountains, creating a beautiful scene with blue sky, white clouds, and green mountains.

This is the Seni wind power project, which is the largest wind power project in Croatia to date and also the largest clean energy project invested by Chinese companies in Central and Eastern Europe. As of the end of 2023, the historical cumulative total power generation of the Seni wind power project reached 876 million kilowatt hours. Green electricity has made significant contributions to reducing electricity imports and promoting low-carbon development in Croatia. Croatian Prime Minister Plunkovic praised the project as providing important support for clean energy production and green transformation in the country, and as a model project for green energy cooperation between the European Union and China.

The entire city of Seni is proud and proud of it

Driving up the newly paved asphalt road, one can occasionally see a white fan in the distance amidst the green trees. The huge fan blades rotate in the wind, and the surrounding tree canopies sway with the wind.

The Seni wind power project is located in the city of Seni, facing the Adriatic Sea to the west and the Villebit Mountains to the east. It is situated in a concentrated area of Braun winds and has abundant wind energy resources. The average wind speed here is very high, reaching 210 kilometers per hour.

The Seni wind power project was invested, constructed, and operated by Northern International Cooperation Co., Ltd. It began comprehensive construction in September 2019 and was officially connected to the grid for power generation in November 2021. The project is equipped with a total of 39 wind turbines with a single unit capacity of 4 megawatts, with a total installed capacity of 156 megawatts and an annual power generation of approximately 530 million kilowatt hours. It can meet the electricity needs of at least 100000 households, equivalent to reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 460000 tons annually.

At the end of the mountain road is a large iron gate, and the faint sound of electric current emitted by the power equipment inside the gate, accompanied by the sound of the wind, brushes past my ears - this is the booster station of the wind power project. "The electricity generated by the 39 wind turbines is divided into 7 circuits and transmitted here. After being converted by two transformers, it can be sent to the Croatian national power grid 8 kilometers away." According to Li Shouzhi, the operation and maintenance manager of the wind power project, the Seni wind power project adopts the world's cutting-edge wind power technology, and both the booster station and the wind turbines use the most advanced equipment and technology. "The booster station operates in an unmanned manner. By collecting, recording, and analyzing wind turbine data remotely, we can respond to relevant issues in a timely manner, improve work efficiency, and achieve maximum production efficiency," said Li Shouzhi.

"That's the village where I was born, Krivipt," Zilatko Pulpich, the chief engineer of the Seni wind power project, pointed to a small village in the distant valley and told reporters. He has been working as an engineer in the local area for over 20 years, and building wind power projects in his hometown has always been his dream. As early as more than 10 years ago, Pulpich designed a wind power project plan, but unfortunately, the design has been stuck on the drawings. It was not until the arrival of Chinese companies that his wishes became a reality.

"This is the first time that I have cooperated with Chinese engineers to build such a large project. Although the project has a tight schedule, many technical difficulties and high construction standards, we have finally solved all kinds of problems encountered." This cooperation made Pulpich praise Chinese enterprises endlessly. He said that the joint construction of the the Belt and Road has borne fruit in Croatia, and many projects involving Chinese enterprises are actively advancing, "Chinese companies' participation in projects has a clear beginning and end, and they never give up halfway."

"The city of Seni is known for its abundant wind resources. With the promotion of the governments of Croatia and China, Northern International Investment undertook the construction and ultimately built the largest wind power project in Croatia with high quality. Chinese enterprises participated in the green energy construction of Seni and utilized high-quality resources for development. The entire city of Seni is proud and proud of it." Seni Mayor Yurica Tomlyanovi ć told reporters, The construction of multiple high-quality infrastructure projects in Croatia, including the Pereshaz Bridge, by Chinese enterprises fully demonstrates their professional level. We hope that in the future, the two countries can deepen cooperation and Chinese enterprises can participate in more infrastructure and environmental protection projects in Croatia.

The Seni wind power project is a beautiful landscape painting

The forest coverage of Mount Velabit is high and the ecological environment is beautiful. As a mountain wind power project, the Seni wind power project has always placed environmental protection as a top priority in the process of project initiation, construction, and operation.

During the project initiation period, the engineering team conducted a detailed assessment of the potential impact of the project on the local natural environment, taking into account the habitat of local birds, bats, and some large animals. The construction process was strictly carried out in accordance with EU laws and relevant standards to minimize the impact of the project on the ecological environment. Pulpich said that as a green energy project, wind power projects play a positive role in environmental protection. He looked at the white wind turbine in the green bushes and said, "The scene we are seeing now is so unique. In my eyes, the Seni wind power project is a beautiful landscape painting."

In order to practice the concept of green development, Northern International has also organized scientific research forces for technological innovation: a large blade lifting device has been specially designed, which can transport tens of meters of leaves without causing damage to the forest; In the design of hoisting fans, the protection of wildlife is taken into consideration; According to EU environmental standards, many adaptive modifications have been made to wind power projects, such as installing silencers, to reduce noise pollution from wind turbines to nearby residents.

Recalling the construction process of the project, Li Shouzhi was very emotional: "In such a forested area, the transportation and lifting of wind turbine blades were restricted to varying degrees, making construction difficult. To overcome these difficulties, we conducted a lot of research and preparation work in the early stage." He introduced that building a wind turbine requires about 300 cubic meters of concrete, which must be poured within a certain time, Three concrete stations are required to be delivered to the site simultaneously. For this purpose, the engineering team laid about 60 kilometers of hardened road surface in the mountains and carefully planned and coordinated the construction process.

When passing by a house on the way down the mountain, a villager stood at the door waving his hand. Li Shouzhi rolled down the car window and greeted him in the local language. Li Shouzhi told reporters, "The residents in the mountains recognize the cars of the wind power project. Every time they pass by, they warmly wave to us and sometimes invite us to visit our homes and taste the fruit wine they make. In order to better communicate with the villagers, I also learned some Croatian language."

Showcasing the responsibility and responsibility of Chinese enterprises

While bringing green energy into thousands of households, the Seni wind power project actively integrates into local society and fulfills its social responsibilities.

During the project construction period, Northern International collaborated with over 40 local subcontractors and hired hundreds of local employees. After the project is completed, according to the agreement, for every 1 kilowatt hour of electricity generated by the wind power project, the Seini City Government will receive a profit of approximately 0.13 euros. According to Liu Zhen, the project manager of Seni Wind Power, as of September 2023, the Seni Wind Power project has paid a space usage fee of 786000 euros to the city of Seni and 171000 euros to the neighboring city of Britney. With the support of these expenses, both municipal governments have carried out municipal infrastructure optimization and renovation projects, directly benefiting local citizens.

The Seni wind power project is also actively carrying out localization operations. According to Pulpich, project operation requires a large amount of manpower, and the proportion of local employees has exceeded half. "My friends around me are envious when they know that I work here, and there are also people who want me to help introduce them to the company for work."

Walk hand in hand, share a common destiny. Since the establishment of the project department, the Seni wind power project has maintained close communication with surrounding communities, actively integrated into the local community, and conscientiously fulfilled corporate social responsibility. The project department has been in contact with the football club in Seni city, and has strengthened friendship through organizing football matches and other activities. In addition, the project department also donates to local football clubs, men's and women's handball clubs, and other organizations to support their development.

Tomlyanovich stated that the Seni wind power project has improved the lives of Seni citizens and effectively promoted local economic and social development. "Northern International's deep integration into local society demonstrates the responsibility and commitment of Chinese enterprises."

"While bringing advanced green technology to Seni, the wind power project has also promoted the local economic and social development. In my opinion, the Chinese employees of the wind power project are our good partners." Yuri, Secretary General of Seni Municipal Government, said that the joint construction of the the Belt and Road has closer economic and cultural ties between China and the co construction country by promoting connectivity and common development, "I hope more Chinese enterprises will invest in our green energy projects in the future." Editor/Zhao E