Nordex secures 84MW Albanian wind turbine order

Nordex has secured its first wind turbine supply contract in Albania, receiving an 84MW order from Austrian energy company VERBUND for the Spille wind farm. The agreement covers twelve N163/6.X turbines, their installation, and a 15-year Premium Service contract, with commissioning planned for spring 2028.

The project is located near the Adriatic coast, approximately 50km south of the port city of Durrës. Nordex confirmed the order on 9 November 2026, establishing its entry into Albania’s developing commercial wind power market through an existing European customer relationship.

Spille is being developed by VERBUND Green Power Albania Wind, a project company established to oversee construction, operation, and maintenance. The site lies on hilly terrain near the coastal village of Spille, approximately 6.5km inland, where the developer has undertaken an extended campaign to assess wind conditions.

Nordex will supply its N163/6.X turbine platform on tubular steel towers with hub heights of 113 metres. The machines have a rotor diameter of approximately 163 metres and are designed for utility-scale onshore generation. The combination of rotor geometry, hub height, and electrical rating determines how the equipment can capture and convert the wind energy available at the site.

A wind turbine converts the aerodynamic force acting on its rotor blades into mechanical rotation, which drives an electrical generator through the equipment’s drivetrain. Power electronic and control systems regulate operation as wind conditions change, while the turbine’s electrical output is delivered to the wind farm’s collection infrastructure.

The rotor diameter establishes the area through which wind passes, influencing the energy available for conversion. Hub height also affects the wind conditions encountered by the rotor, because wind speed and turbulence can vary with elevation, terrain, and atmospheric conditions. Both characteristics are relevant to the turbine configuration selected for a particular development.

VERBUND completed a wind measurement campaign lasting approximately 18 months to assess the local resource. The resulting information supports energy yield modelling and equipment selection, although expected production also depends on turbine availability, electrical losses, environmental operating restrictions, and the final wind farm layout.

The development includes a proposed 30/110kV substation and a 5.7km double-circuit overhead transmission connection. These facilities will provide the interface between the wind farm’s internal electrical collection network and Albania’s wider electricity infrastructure.

Individual turbines normally deliver electricity into a medium-voltage collection system, which brings their outputs together before transformation to the voltage required at the grid connection. Protection and control arrangements must coordinate the operation of the turbines with the substation and the connected network, including fault detection and the response to abnormal electrical conditions.

Commissioning will require verification of those electrical interfaces alongside completion of turbine installation. Equipment must be mechanically assembled, electrically connected, and tested against the manufacturer’s operating requirements. The project must also satisfy the relevant network conditions before beginning routine commercial electricity exports.

The latest supply agreement follows an earlier competitive procurement process organised by the Albanian authorities. VERBUND secured an allocation of 72.6MW in the country’s first utility-scale onshore wind auction in July 2023, with a successful bid of €74.95/MWh.

Three bidders received capacity allocations totalling 222.48MW in that auction. The procurement process was supported by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which worked with the Albanian authorities on the framework for competitively awarding renewable energy projects.

Different capacity figures have subsequently appeared in the Spille development records. VERBUND’s existing project website identifies a 75MW installation comprising twelve turbines, while Nordex’s November 2026 equipment order specifies twelve turbines for an 84MW development. Neither announcement explains how the revised figure relates to the original auction allocation.

The three figures should therefore be treated as separate reported project parameters rather than interchangeable descriptions of the final export capacity. The original auction award concerns the capacity allocated through the procurement process, the developer’s project page describes its published design, and the latest supplier announcement establishes the turbine order. The final relationship between those figures remains to be clarified.

VERBUND’s earlier project information also estimates annual electricity production of approximately 130,000MWh. That forecast was published alongside the 75MW project description and has not been explicitly updated to reflect the latest 84MW turbine order. It cannot be assumed to represent the expected production of the revised equipment configuration.

Development milestones include a project agreement signed between VERBUND and Albania’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy in July 2024 and the granting of an environmental permit in April 2025. The developer had identified 2026 for the beginning of construction activity, while the new turbine contract establishes a further procurement milestone.

Albania’s electricity generation has historically depended heavily on hydropower, making domestic production sensitive to changes in water availability. Wind generation introduces a different renewable resource profile, with output influenced by atmospheric conditions rather than river flows or reservoir levels.

Integrating additional wind generation will require the electricity system to accommodate variable output. Hydroelectric generation can provide operational flexibility where reservoir conditions and plant design permit, but the contribution from individual resources depends on available water, electricity demand, network capability, and the requirements of system operation.

The Spille installation is intended to become the country’s first commercial wind farm. Its 84MW turbine order therefore represents an equipment procurement commitment in a market where large-scale wind generation has not previously formed a substantial part of domestic electricity production.

The agreement also extends the relationship between Nordex and VERBUND Green Power. In January 2026, the companies established a multi-year framework covering the potential supply of up to 700MW of turbines across six European markets, including Albania. That framework provides scope for future orders but does not constitute a firm purchase commitment for the entire stated capacity.

The separate 15-year Premium Service contract will provide maintenance support once Spille enters operation. Long-term turbine servicing includes the management of mechanical and electrical equipment exposed to repeated loading and environmental conditions, with maintenance and fault-response activities contributing to generating availability.

Commissioning remains scheduled for spring 2028. Before that date, the project must complete its construction and equipment installation programme, integrate the wind turbines with the collection and export systems, and undertake the necessary testing. The latest order confirms the turbine supplier and service scope, while clarification of the project’s final rated and export capacities remains outstanding.