Askio Onshore Wind Complex

Iberdrola reinforces its commitment to renewables in Greece with the commissioning of the Askio onshore wind complex

The Iberdrola Group has taken another global step forward in its drive for renewable energies with the full commissioning of the Askio onshore wind farm complex, comprising two wind farms with a combined capacity of 88.2 MW. Located next to the Askio mountain near the town of Kozani in Greece, the Askio II (37.8 MW) and Askio III (50.4 MW) renewable facilities have been fully operational since September 2023, when the energy production of Askio II was connected to the local grid. 

The construction of the wind farm complex, which now becomes one of the largest renewable sites in the Greek region of Western Macedonia, has made significant financial contributions to the local communities, €2.2 million has been invested in new infrastructure and a total of 282 direct and indirect jobs have been generated. Between the two wind farms, an investment of close to €100 million has been mobilised.

The Askio wind farm has 21 Vestas V150 wind turbines, each with a capacity of 4.2 MW, enabling it to produce 180 GWh per year, enough to cover the energy needs of 40,000 Greek households and prevent the emission of 60,000 tonnes of CO₂ into the atmosphere each year. The turbine is 105 metres high and has a rotor diameter of 150 metres.

The Askio complex, a real logistical challenge

Through C. Rokas, Iberdrola's subsidiary in Greece, we were awarded the construction of the two wind farms that comprise the Askio complex following an auction held in Athens in 2020, with construction of the first farm commencing in April 2022. In just over six months, in November 2022, the assembly of the 12 Askio III wind turbines and the work required to connect them to the grid, including the installation of the three internal medium-voltage circuits and the evacuation line were completed.

The Askio III installation process involved the collaboration of several companies in Spain, which helped to boost the supply chain in the country. The Asturian company KLK and the Madrid-based company CT Ingenieros participated in the construction of the substation, supplying the main electrical components and the communication and control equipment. Likewise, the Basque company Ormazabal supplied part of the wind turbine cells. The installation shares a grid connection point with Askio II, distributed between the municipalities of Korzani and Eordaia.

The wind farms that make up the wind farm complex have been built in a mountainous region at an altitude of 1,500 metres above sea level. The difficult road access and extreme weather conditions in the region, with frequent snowstorms and strong winds, posed a major logistical challenge for the company. Against this backdrop, the Blade Lifter technique was used a system capable of rotating and vertically tilting the blades of a wind turbine during transport, which reduces the environmental impact on the site environment.
 

We are pioneers in the development of wind energy in Greece

As part of our strategy to combat climate change, we operate renewable energy projects around the world and are increasingly committed to new markets such as Greece. Our company's interest in strengthening its presence in the region dates back to 2007, when Iberdrola, through its subsidiary Iberdrola Renovables, acquired 100% ownership of the Greek group Rokas Renewables, currently one of the main leaders in the Greek wind energy market in terms of installed capacity. 

With the commissioning of the Askio onshore wind farm complex, Iberdrola consolidates the Hellenic country as a strategic centre for the development of clean energy in Europe, managing a total of 421 MW of renewable generation capacity. In addition to the two Askio II and Askio III wind farms, the company has other wind and solar projects in Greece (in the regions of Central Greece, Crete, Thrace, Western Macedonia, Thessaly, Peloponnese and Dodecanese) and Cyprus. 

In June 2022, we completed the construction of the Mikronos onshore wind farm, located in the province of Rhodopi, a project that contributed significantly to improving the Greek electricity transmission grid by strengthening the communications system. We also completed work on the Rokani project in 2023, an 18 MW wind farm near Athens that provides 100% clean energy for 20,000 families.

Thanks to our expertise in the renewable energy sector, as well as our local partners, we are poised to become one of the leaders in the energy transition in Greece. We aim to significantly increase our renewable capacity in the country by 2025, increasingly diversifying our renewable portfolio with wind, solar and storage projects.

Iberdrola, world leader in renewable energy

At Iberdrola, we decided to commit to renewable energies more than two decades ago as a fundamental pillar on which to build our safe, clean, and competitive business model. Thanks to this vision, we are today world leaders in renewable energies, leading the energy transition towards a low-emission economy in various countries in Europe (Spain, United Kingdom, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy and Greece), the United States, Brazil, Mexico and Australia, as well as maintaining growth platforms in markets such as Japan, Taiwan, Ireland, Sweden and Poland.

Our commitment to clean energy is reflected in our record investment plan of €47 billion in the period 2023-2025, of which we will allocate €17 billion to the renewables business. With these investments, we will increase our installed renewable capacity by 12,100 MW to 52,000 MW by 2025 - 6,300 MW of photovoltaic, 3,100 MW of onshore wind, 1,800 MW of offshore, 700 MW of batteries and 200 MW of hydro.