China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) and Ukrainian energy firm Donbas Fuel and Energy Company (DTEK) have completed a 200MW solar power project near Nikopol, in Ukraine's central Dnipropetrovsk region, which is said to be the third largest PV plant in Europe.
According to Chinese state news agency Xinhua, the €216 million (US$243 million) solar plant, jointly built by CMEC and DTEK, was funded by DTEK itself and a loan from China. Having started construction in April 2018 and completing in February this year, it will now be able to provide electricity to the equivalent of 140,000 households.
Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis
Photovoltaics International is now included.
- Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
- In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
- Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
- Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
- Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
- Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual
Or continue reading this article for free
Maksym Timchenko, chairman of the DTEK, said: “I believe that this is a new page of the Ukrainian-Chinese relations. I believe that only with such projects, with real deeds, can we talk about real cooperation and real partnership.”
Meanwhile, CMEC president Han Xiaojun said the Nikopol plant uses advanced solar modules and inverters made in China, as well as advanced power plant control systems. Indeed, the 400-hectare project used 750,000 PV modules from Chinese companies Seraphim Solar and Trina Solar. It also uses 80 inverter stations with 160 PV inverters manufactured by China-based Shenzhen Kstar Science and Technology.
DTEK is also building a 323MW project located in the Dnipropetrovsk region of central Ukraine, using modules from Chinese firm Risen.