Italian utility Enel has won 71MW in the 2019 Russian renewable energy tender, sweeping almost all of the 78.1MW in awarded wind capacity this year.

The award, secured through its Russian unit PJSC Enel Russia, was for the Rodnikovsky wind farm in Russia’s Stavropol region, with Enel Green Power in charge of project development and construction.

“This latest award represents another major milestone for us in Russia, after the recent start of construction of the Azov wind farm,” said Enel Green Power head Antonio Cammisecra.

“Looking ahead, we will continue to work relentlessly on the consolidation and further expansion of our group’s renewable footprint in Russia, thereby pursuing an increasingly sustainable business model.”

Oil and gas-rich Russia in 2013 had started to hold annual renewable tenders to reach 5.4GW in renewable energy capacity by 2024 (3.35GW of which will come from wind power), which is slated to represent 4.5% of its energy generation. The renewables sector is currently waiting for a new government plan for the post-2024 period.

Enel in past tenders had already won 291MW, and in May had started building the 90MW Azov wind farm in southern Russia’s Rostov region, which it plans to start operations in 2020. A year later, the Italian utility plans to commission the 201MW Murmansk wind farm.

The Rodnikovsky project is planned to enter service in the first half of 2024, after an investment of €90m ($102m).

Enel for its first two Russian wind farms will use Siemens Gamesa machines, but hasn’t told yet which turbine it intends to use at Rodnikovsky.

Most onshore wind power capacity in Russia has so far been awarded to a consortium of Finnish utility Fortum and its Russian partner Rusnano, which have won 1.8GW in capacity and plan to use Vestas turbines for all of it.