Utilitas Wind has begun construction on a wind farm and battery energy storage project near Lode in the Valmiera municipality of Latvia, close to the Estonian border.

The hybrid facility will feature 18 Vestas wind turbines, each with a capacity of 6.5MW, creating a total installed wind power capacity of 117MW, alongside a 60MW battery energy storage system (BESS).

The anticipated annual generation from the wind farm is 330GW-hours (GWh), which Utilitas Wind reports would be sufficient to meet the annual electricity needs of more than 110,000 households.

Verston Eesti is working on access and connection roads, Connecto Latvija is handling cabling and electrical works, and AIMASA is responsible for laying turbine foundations.

Financing for the project has been provided by Swedbank, SEB Pank and OP Corporate Bank.

In addition to wind generation, the site will include a BESS with 60MW of power and 240MW-hours of capacity, designed to deliver energy balancing services for the wider Baltic grid.

The project is scheduled to begin operations in early 2028.

The Lode facility will be connected to the 330kV power grid, allowing it to support energy security in both Latvia and Estonia and contribute to broader goals for a transition to clean energy in the Baltic region.

It has also received support through the Connecting Europe Facility Energy programme, which focuses on cross-border renewable energy initiatives.

In 2025, Utilitas produced 2.5TW-hours of energy, with 80% derived from renewable sources.

The company states that it is investing in new renewable generation and storage capacity to strengthen the Baltic region’s energy security and accelerate the adoption of cleaner energy systems.

In March 2025, Utilitas Wind appointed Finland-based Arenso to carry out the basic design for the 1.2GW Saare-Liivi offshore wind project in Estonia.