€41 million wind park to provide electricity for companies operating in the Akmenė FEZ

A 29.5 megawatt (MW) wind park under construction in the Akmenė Free Economic Zone (FEZ) will meet the electricity needs of companies operating in the area. Five wind turbines with a capacity of 5.9 MW each are expected to be operational in a test mode by mid-2025. The total value of the project is over €41 million.

The Akmenė LEZ wind project is being implemented by “VMG Energy”, managed by the international investment group VMG, and the asset management company BRAITIN. BRAITIN’s “Sustainable Energy Fund I” has acquired 80% of the shares in the company “Sustainable Energy Invest”, which owns the wind park. The remaining 20% is held by “VMG Energy”.

“Sustainable Energy Fund I” is investing €12.5 million in the construction of the wind park in the Akmenė FEZ.

“The park will become an integral part of the Akmenė FEZ, which is characterised by its sustainability, and will supply green energy to modern manufacturing and service companies operating in the free zone. The wind park has attracted a lot of interest. A total of 20 investors, including a large institutional investor, have contributed to the project through our fund,” said Rytis Davidovičius, Director and sole shareholder of BRAITIN.

The project will be implemented by “Greenerga”, a company managed by Darius Velička. In addition to the investors’ funds, a EUR 28.7 million loan from “Šiaulių bankas” will be used for the construction of the park.

“We have a long track record of successful cooperation in financing VMG Group’s projects, which allows us to believe that this major project will make a significant contribution to the development of Lithuania’s renewable energy system. We are pleased to contribute to the creation of a greener future and believe that the project will contribute significantly to the development of the Akmenė region and create opportunities for the region’s people”, said Paulius Paliskis, director of corporate clients, Klaipėda Region, “Šiaulių bankas”.

“Petras Leknius, Director of “VMG Energy”, said that VMG Group companies operating in Akmenė FEZ will consume about 70% of the electricity generated in the wind park. The rest, he said, will be used for the energy needs of other companies operating or developing in the FEZ.

“The development of renewable energy is one of our key strategic priorities. We estimate that the use of sustainable energy in Akmenė will allow us to reduce CO2 emissions by as much as 30-40%. We are expanding the number of factories with wind and solar energy in the production cycle,” noted P.Leknius.

It is estimated that by the second half of 2026, the enterprises operating in the FEZ will be using all the electricity generated by the wind park.

According to Lina Mockutė, Director of the Akmenė FEZ, the necessary changes and development of the internal infrastructure have already been initiated.

“It is exciting to see that potential investors are increasingly emphasising green energy sources as a decisive factor in their decision-making process. Accordingly, one of our main goals is to make the Akmenė FEZ the first climate-neutral economic zone in Lithuania, leading the way in sustainable development and green innovation,” said L. Mockutė.

VMG Group and its partners have invested a total of more than half a billion euros in investment projects in the Akmenė LEZ together. Two new factories were opened here last year. The company’s companies in Lithuania and Poland have a total of around 3,000 employees. 90% of the company’s production is exported to more than 40 countries worldwide.