EBRD supports expansion of landmark Vifor wind farm

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), one of the core banks supporting Romania’s energy security and green transition, is providing a €44 million loan as part of facilities worth €331 million to finance a 269 MW extension of the Vifor onshore wind farm.

Once completed, the expanded facility will become one of the largest wind farms in Romania, with a total installed capacity of 461 MW.

The financing builds on the Bank’s €32 million loan provided in 2024 as its part of the first 192 MW phase of the wind farm, currently under construction and scheduled for completion in early 2026.

Once completed, the expanded wind farm is expected to generate in total 1.2 TWh annually, avoiding over 500,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions each year.

The expansion marks a significant milestone as the first EBRD-financed project to benefit from a contract-for-difference (CfD) awarded under Romania’s inaugural CfD auction.

The CfD scheme, which aims to mobilise 5 GW of wind and solar capacity, was designed and implemented with technical assistance from the EBRD. The first auction round concluded successfully in December 2024, awarding 1.5 GW of renewable capacity (1 GW wind and 0.5 GW solar). The Vifor extension was awarded a 240 MW CfD contract through this auction.

In addition to supporting Romania’s decarbonisation goals, the project will contribute to local market liquidity by selling a significant portion of its output on the domestic electricity market.

Victoria Zinchuk, EBRD Director for Romania, said: “We are proud to continue supporting the Vifor wind farm, one of the largest not only in Romania, but in the whole of Eastern Europe. It will play an important role in boosting the region’s renewables capacity and support Romania in meeting its green energy goals in line with EU initiatives like Fit for 55 and REPowerEU.”

Grzegorz Zielinski, EBRD Director, Head of Energy Europe, said: "We are pleased to finance the expansion of the Vifor wind farm - our first project supported by Romania’s new CfD scheme. This transaction illustrates how targeted policy support, backed by international expertise, can mobilise large-scale private investment in renewables – key for the transition to a greener and more resilient energy system".

The Vifor project is developed by Rezolv Energy, a renewable energy platform established by Actis, a leading global investor in sustainable infrastructure with US$15 billion in assets under management.

The EBRD is a leading institutional investor in Romania, having committed almost €12 billion to 569 projects to date. Accelerating the shift to a green economy remains a strategic priority for the Bank in Romania and across its economies.