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May 5, 2025
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Nordex Group – from a sketch on the wall to a leading Western wind turbines developer

Nordex Group, one of the largest wind turbine manufacturers in the world, is celebrating its 40th anniversary. The company’s portfolio in Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro recently reached a total of 1 GW in installed capacity and projects under development, underscoring Nordex’s strong commitment to supporting Southeastern Europe’s energy transition goals.

Nordex will participate in the leading regional conference, the Belgrade Energy Forum, and take this opportunity to mark this milestone. At the event, Anne-Catherine de Tourtier, Vice-President Mediterranean, will contribute to discussions as a panelist, and the company will host an anniversary celebration.

It was back in the early eighties, in Denmark, that Flemming Pedersen and his two sons, Carsten and Jens, had a vision: develop innovative products that could generate electricity in a cost-effective way while protecting environment. To put this idea into practice, they devised a wind turbine which they first sketched on a wall.

They built the first 65 kW turbine, installed on the family property and made it work.

This was the starting signal ; in 1985, Carsten and Jens Pedersen founded Nordex A/S in Give, laying the foundations for Nordex as a company.

The founders had a vision to generate cost-effective power with no impact on the environment

A lot has changed in 40 years. Nordex Group has become one of the world’s leading Western manufacturers of wind turbines, successful around the globe and the market leader in Europe. Technology and the industry have been developed at an impressive pace.

Electricity from wind power has become cost competitive. A strong focus on innovation and cost of energy (COE) has significantly reduced the cost per kilowatt-hour, turning wind into the cheapest source of electricity in many regions.

A crucial role in protecting the planet from climate change

One thing has not changed in the four decades of the Nordex story: Developing and delivering clean power plants that make 100% renewable energy a reality for the world, is still the shared mission and driver of today’s more than 10,900 Nordex Group employees, and its valued partners and clients around the globe.

The company kicked off the 40th anniversary series by thanking its customers, suppliers, colleagues and friends who have made its journey of innovation and growth possible.

“A special thank you to the Pedersen family for following a vision and believing in a technology that was once perceived by many as an utopian dream, and today recognized as playing a crucial role in protecting our planet from climate change, safeguarding it for generations to come!” said Vice-President Mediterranean Anne-Catherine de Tourtier, who will participate at Belgrade Energy Forum next month.

The first Nordex-branded wind turbine

In 1986, just one year after the company was founded, the first Nordex-branded wind turbine started to produce energy. Developed by the visionary Pedersen brothers and Nordex’s inaugural employee, Knud Buhl Nielsen, the N27 marked the beginning of a groundbreaking journey towards sustainable energy production.

The firm rented the tallest crane in Denmark to lift the first N27 turbine in 1986

Looking back on this milestone, Carsten Pedersen fondly recalls: “The first real Nordex turbine was the N27 with a rotor diameter of 27 meters, on a 30-meter tubular tower which we erected at our factory in 1986. At that time, it was one of the biggest turbines on the market and we thought that it was really big. We had to rent the tallest crane in Denmark to erect it.”

From today’s perspective, the whole development process in the early stages of Nordex seems truly adventurous. In the absence of a computer, the design was done by hand, and the loads were calculated using a pocket calculator.

However, it’s safe to say that both processes were conducted thoroughly and expertly. “The turbine actually kept running for 30 years, as we did not dismantle it until 2016,” remembers Jens Pedersen.

Three decades since the company’s first 1 MW wind turbine

Looking back, based on the first steps with the N27, it seems that “thinking big” was the beginning of the Nordex Group natural approach. A further humble milestone was accomplished today: 30 years of producing turbines of the megawatt class. In 1995, Nordex introduced the worldwide first series-produced megawatt turbine, the N52, with 1 MW.

Today, Nordex’s Delta4000 series boasts a rated power more than 45 times that of the N27, showcasing the remarkable advancements in technology and engineering expertise. Over the past 40 years, the rotor diameter has increased 6.5-fold, reaching an impressive 175 meters, with its swept area increasing accordingly by a factor of 42. Today, Nordex wind turbines are manufactured with capacities ranging from 4 MW to 7 MW.

Anniversary celebration at BEF 2025 is affirming Nordex’s commitment to the Balkans

The global company is marking its 40th anniversary at the upcoming Belgrade Energy Forum, affirming its commitment to the Balkans.

Vice-President Mediterranean Anne-Catherine de Tourtier is one of the speakers in the panel discussion ‘Energy revolution underway – uniting efforts to deliver green, intelligent and sustainable energy solutions’.

Organized by Balkan Green Energy News, BEF 2025 will be held on May 14 and 15 in Serbia’s capital city.

Belgrade Energy Forum is a central meeting point for representatives of regional and international institutions, organizations and the business community from the region, Europe, and beyond.

Make sure you register on time via this link.

In the evening on May 14, Nordex is organizing its anniversary celebration party for all the participants at the conference.

The group is actively focusing on the Balkan market, with a robust presence across the region, currently involved in six projects in Croatia, three in Serbia, and one in Montenegro.

“We have successfully contracted 1 GW in Serbia, Croatia, and Montenegro, encompassing 222 wind turbines across 16 wind farms. Our team in the Balkans region has grown to over 30 employees, reflecting our significant investment in local talent and development,” said Managing Director for Serbia Vladimir Kolarević.

Nordex highlighted the Balkans as one of its key growth areas, with several ongoing projects in other countries within the region as well. As a crucial partner in the energy transition, the wind turbine manufacturer leverages its footprint and network in Croatia, Serbia, and Montenegro to enter new markets and drive sustainable development, according to the update.

The company is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, and has installed so far 57 GW of wind power capacity in over 40 markets.

In Turkey, one of its manufacturing hubs, Nordex received orders for more than 1 GW in 2024. And then 750 MW was booked in the country just in the first quarter of this year.

As for the other markets tracked by Balkan Green Energy News, a notable example is Greece, where Nordex surpassed 1 GW.

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May 5, 2025
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Hungary’s MVM inks deal with Çalık Holding, Ansaldo Energia for combined cycle gas turbine power plant

Hungarian power utility MVM signed an agreement with a consortium of Turkey-based conglomerate Çalık Holding and Italian company Ansaldo Energia, which are tasked with building a 1,000 MW combined cycle gas turbine power plant at the Tiszaújváros site in northeast Hungary.

It is the second time this year that MVM contracted the construction of gas-fueled and hydrogen-ready facilities at sites of former power plants running on fossil fuels. Two months ago, the company signed a deal with domestic firms Status KPRIA and West Hungária Bau, and Egypt-based Elsewedy Electric for a 650 MW power combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) at the Mátra Power Plant.

Now the contract for the development of a modern CCGT power plant was signed by MVM Tisza Power Plant Ltd. of the MVM Group, Çalık Holding, the consortium lead, and Ansaldo Energia.

The agreement marks the beginning of turnkey execution planning, procurement, and construction of what is expected to be Hungary’s most efficient large-scale power plant, the companies said.

Lantos: No new baseload power plant has been built in Hungary in more than 15 years.

The power plant is expected to supply an average of 7,500 GWh of electricity annually. It will also be prepared to use hydrogen.

The two-member consortium was awarded the construction and long-term maintenance of the gas turbines at the public procurement tender.

After the signing, Hungarian Minister of Energy Csaba Lantos lauded the deal as historic, noting that no new baseload power plant has been built in Hungary in more than 15 years.

“The new facility will play an important role in balancing renewable electricity production, thereby supporting the successful energy transition,” he added.

Mátrai: A modern, flexible generation capacity

Károly Mátrai, MVM Group CEO, said a modern, flexible generation capacity would replace the previously decommissioned traditional power plant. Of note, it was a gas power plant.

The facility to be built at the Tiszaújváros site will leverage existing electricity grid connections, a cooling water system, and access to natural gas at a nearby point, Mátrai underscored.

According to Fabrizio Fabbri, Ansaldo Energia CEO, the MVM Tisza power plant will be the country’s most efficient, ready to meet Hungary’s growth and increasing energy needs. He said his company would bring its most advanced gas turbine technology, suitable for hydrogen use.

Ahmet Çalik, President of Calik Enerji Swiss, said the company is honored to contribute to Hungary’s energy supply and enhance its energy security.

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May 5, 2025
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OMV opens Austria’s largest green hydrogen plant

OMV put into operation its green hydrogen plant in Schwechat near Vienna. The facility can produce 1,500 tons per year.

OMV is producing green hydrogen on a commercial scale for the first time. The Vienna-based fossil fuel and petrochemicals producer started up a 10 MW plant at its Schwechat refinery near Austria’s capital. It is the largest in the country.

The investment amounts to EUR 25 million. The electrolyzer system can produce up to 1,500 tons per annum. OMV said the green hydrogen would be used to make more sustainable fuels and chemicals including sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel (HVO).

PEM electrolyzer uses wind power, hydropower, photovoltaics

The new 10 MW polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM, also called proton exchange membrane) electrolyzer is powered entirely by renewable electricity. It is generated by wind power, hydropower plants and photovoltaics.

The innovation enables annual savings of up to 15,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, according to the comparator from the European Union’s Renewable Energy Directive. It is equivalent to 2,000 persons per year, based on the EU’s 2024 average of 7.5 tons of CO2 equivalent per capita.

“With the start-up of Austria’s largest electrolysis plant, we are re-inventing how essentials we use in everyday life are produced sustainably. Green hydrogen is at the heart of this transformation, serving as a critical component in producing fuels and chemicals while advancing the decarbonization of our Schwechat site,” said board member Martijn van Koten, responsible for fuels, feedstock and chemicals.

Green hydrogen project is step toward making OMV carbon neutral

The majority owner of Romanian OMV Petrom aims to cut its net emissions to zero by 2050. Its transformation is based on projects including for geothermal energy and chemical recycling. Green hydrogen can be utilized in the production process in refineries.

The green hydrogen plant is certified for producing renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBOs).

Making green hydrogen through PEM electrolysis involves splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using renewable electricity. At the anode, oxygen and positively charged hydrogen protons are generated. The protons pass through the PEM, and at the cathode, they combine with electrons to form hydrogen gas.

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May 2, 2025
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US interested in pumped storage hydropower projects in Romania, Bulgaria

Minister of Energy of Romania Sebastian Burduja and Minister of Energy of Bulgaria Zhecho Stankov both met with United States Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and discussed bilateral cooperation in projects in their countries including for pumped storage hydropower plants and nuclear power plants. Burduja said studies would be conducted with American support for a string of pumped storage hydroelectric facilities throughout the Carpathians.

At the sidelines of the 2025 Three Seas Business Forum in Warsaw, Minister of Energy Sebastian Burduja held a meeting with US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright about ongoing strategic projects in which American companies are involved. He revealed that state-owned power utility Hidroelectrica has signed a memorandum with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) of the United States on cooperation in pumped storage hydropower projects.

The initiative will put Romania “at the forefront of Europe” as it will store green energy throughout the Carpathian mountain range, according to Burduja. Prefeasibility and feasibility studies will be developed with American support, he added.

“In this era of energy transition, we need pragmatic and effective solutions that ensure secure, affordable, and clean energy – in that order of priorities. Romania and the United States share a vision for a common energy future, and our collaboration will significantly contribute to achieving this goal,” the minister stated.

Significant involvement of US companies in strategic energy projects in Romania

Burduja highlighted NuScale’s project for small modular reactors (SMRs) in Doicești and the contract signed with Fluor and Sargent and Lundy for units 3 and 4 at the Cernavodă nuclear power plant. Fluor is also participating in a project for a high-voltage direct current interconnector (HVDC), he pointed out.

The lack of interconnections is bolstering energy prices

The minister noted that American partners are involved in a project for mapping and utilizing geothermal sources for district heating in Bucharest, with support from the European Union’s Modernisation Fund. Namely, Electrocentrale Bucharest (ELCEN) has established cooperation with US-based SAGE Geosystems

Burduja recalled that American platform Transocean Barents is drilling for gas in the Neptun Deep project in the Black Sea.

The Romanian ministry said the two officials discussed the rise of energy prices, attributing it to the lack of interconnections and the challenge of closing coal-fired power plants without viable alternatives. They also touched upon the costs of carbon dioxide certificates and how they affect competitiveness, the announcement reads.

Stankov, Wright discuss possibility of building AI ‘gigafactories’

Bulgarian Minister of Energy Zhecho Stankov separately met with US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. Bulgaria will be the first in Europe to deploy the American AP1000 technology, Stankov claimed.

The country is preparing to build two more units at the Kozloduy nuclear power plant, in a deal with Westinghouse Electric. State-owned Bulgarian Energy Holding is controlling the project.

The two officials discussed the possibility of building “artificial intelligence gigafactories” to complement the nuclear infrastructure and promote innovation and employment, the ministry said. In addition, Stankov and Wright spoke about projects for new pumped storage hydropower and the exploration of oil and natural gas in the Black Sea.

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May 2, 2025
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US wants Central Europe to join ‘team energy freedom’, ditch EU’s energy transition goals

United States Secretary of Energy Chris Wright invited Central European countries to abandon the official European Union’s energy and climate policy and join his country on “team energy freedom.”

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright has delivered a keynote speech at the inaugural session of the Three Seas Business Forum, held in Warsaw, Poland.

“This is a time for choosing,” he said. Wright, who called himself a “lifelong energy entrepreneur,” claimed that after the global financial crisis 15 years ago, “the major nations of Western Europe — not Central Europe — chose one side of a fork in the road” and that his country took the other one.

In his words, the US path represents “energy for the sake of human flourishing,” one that is” abundant, secure, affordable and reliable” and “comes from innovation and choice.” In Wright’s view, it leads to economic growth.

Wright: Climate alarmism has clearly reduced energy freedom, prosperity and national security

“The other side of the fork deprives citizens, consumers of choice. It is a top-down imposition of mandates for the energy system. This top-down imposition of enforced ‘climate policies’ is justified as necessary to save the world from climate change,” the energy secretary stated in the written remarks, published by the Department of Energy.

Wright stressed in the speech that “climate alarmism” has “reduced energy freedom” alongside prosperity and national security across Western Europe.

Criticizing what he called “top-down diktats,” the US official argued they have produced an expensive and unreliable energy system that drives industry and economic activity out of national borders and made energy more expensive for citizens.

The previous US administration worked hard to move the US onto that same fork, he added. The American people re-elected President Donald Trump to bring back freedom and prosperity, according to Wright.

Wright: We warmly welcome you to join us on team energy freedom

Of note, Trump has substantially reversed the previous administration’s energy and climate policy. Launching a slogan “Drill, baby, drill” at the beginning of his current mandate, he withdrew the US from the Paris Agreement and suspended offshore wind power leases, among other measures.

Now Wright conveyed a message: “Central Europe faces a time for choosing. You all have a long history of choosing freedom and sovereignty for your citizens. We warmly welcome you to join us on team energy freedom and prosperity for citizens. President Trump’s agenda of prosperity at home and peace abroad is a team sport!”

He said decarbonization would “likely take generations.” The energy secretary claimed natural gas and nuclear energy are the two biggest climate solutions for the coming decades, “as they were in the last two decades… for the simple reason that they work.”

They supply affordable, reliable, secure energy, Wright underscored.

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May 2, 2025
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Public voting open for EUSEW Awards

EUSEW Awards will be presented on June 10, within the European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW), to outstanding individuals and organisations driving Europe’s energy transition. A jury has selected nine finalists across three categories: Innovation, Local Energy Action, and Woman in Energy. The public now gets to decide the winners.

Online public voting for EUSEW Awards is open until June 1. Voters can support one finalist in each category.

The winners will be announced during the official awards ceremony in Brussels on June 10.

Innovation category

The Innovation Award recognises outstanding projects funded by the European Union that are ongoing or recently completed, demonstrating original and innovative approaches to the energy transition and delivering tangible results.

Dutch company AquaBattery has launched a pilot project in Delft for a long-duration energy storage (LDES) battery system that uses only salt and water as storage medium.

During charging, renewable electricity converts saltwater into acid and base, which are stored in separate tanks, effectively storing the electricity. During discharge, the acid and base are recombined into saltwater, generating electricity. This enables a stable power supply even when there is no sun or wind, without relying on critical raw materials like lithium.

The LIFE4GreenBroadband project in Croatia, led by telecom operator A1 Hrvatska, is the second finalist in the Innovation category. It aims to reduce emissions in the telecommunications sector by introducing solar panels and passive cooling systems to mobile base stations.

The third finalist is the Spanish-Italian project LIFE Turbines, focused on developing smart cities and generating green electricity by using surplus pressure in water pipelines. By integrating microturbines directly into existing infrastructure, the project demonstrates how to harness urban hydropower without affecting water quality or supply.

Local Energy Action

The Local Energy Action Award celebrates implemented sustainable energy initiatives carried out by citizens or consumers at the local level, contributing to their community’s energy transition. It also aims to inspire similar efforts across the EU by showcasing economic and environmental benefits. This year’s finalists are: Amiestas, proKlima, and Shared Energy for Social Housing in Otterbeek.

Amiestas is a public, non-profit organisation managing a centre for energy-efficient renovation of residential buildings in Vilnius, Lithuania. It streamlines processes for residents and provides technical and financial support to improve building energy efficiency by 50% to 60%.

ProKlima is a public-private partnership funding clean energy projects in and around Hanover. It brings together municipal utility enercity, local authorities, and NGOs. Nearly 40,000 clean energy projects were funded so far within the endeavor.

The partners created a fundraising instrument independent of municipal budgets. The money, sourced from gas sales, profit sharing from the said energy supplier and from concession fees, is distributed to local projects addressing climate change and raising awareness about global warming.

Shared Energy for Social Housing in Otterbeek, Belgium, gives access to renewable energy to residents in vulnerable groups. Two hundred social housing units have been equipped with solar panels, allowing residents to receive green electricity at a fixed, lower-than-market rate.

Woman in Energy

The Woman in Energy Award recognises the efforts of women whose actions, if replicated, can accelerate the transition to clean energy in Europe. Special attention is given to promoting gender equality and equal opportunities in the energy sector.

This year’s finalists are Carmen Sánchez-Guevara, Sofie Loots, and Stella Tsani.

Spanish architect and professor Carmen Sánchez-Guevara is a leading voice in the fight against summer energy poverty, which affects vulnerable households exposed to extreme heat. Through projects like Cooltorise, she has helped people in five countries protect themselves through education, greening initiatives, and improved public spaces.

Sofie Loots advocates for local energy cooperatives in Belgium. For 16 years, she worked as a sustainability advisor in the Municipality of Edegem near Antwerp, focusing on climate action through energy efficiency and building renovation.

In 2016, Sophie co-founded the energy cooperative ZuidtrAnt with a group of other volunteers. Their goal was to prioritise citizens’ interests in the energy transition and to make renewable energy more affordable.

Stella Tsani, an associate professor at the University of Athens, links academic research with real-world energy policy, focusing on economic incentives for a sustainable energy transition.

Through work with organisations such as the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), her research informs policies that balance economic growth with environmental protection. She is also dedicated to empowering young women in the energy sector through mentorship and education, believing that future female leaders are key to achieving the EU’s climate goals.

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