Enercon Cobadin 1 wind farm deal marks E-175 EP5 E2 debut in Romania

Enercon has confirmed a turbine supply agreement for the Enercon Cobadin 1 wind farm in Romania, its first deployment of the E-175 EP5 E2 platform in the country and its first partnership with developer Qair Group on Romanian soil.

The deal covers the delivery and installation of seven E-175 EP5 E2 turbines at the Cobadin 1 site in the Constanța region, with delivery scheduled from July 2027. First commissioning is planned for late August 2027, after which Enercon will provide long-term servicing.

What Enercon Cobadin 1 wind farm tells us about the E-175 platform’s eastward push

The E-175 EP5 E2 is Enercon’s large-rotor onshore platform, and Romania is now its latest proving ground. Enercon CNE international sales director Toralf Pohl positioned the agreement firmly in strategic terms: ‘Romania is one of the most important growth markets for Enercon. This success is clear proof of our competitiveness and strengthens our position in the region where Enercon has already established a strong local set-up.’

That framing (“proof of competitiveness”) is worth holding up to the light. The onshore turbine market in central and eastern Europe is contested, with several European original equipment manufacturers competing for projects as Romania’s pipeline builds. A single seven-turbine order does not settle that contest, but it does put the E-175 EP5 E2 on the Romanian grid for the first time, which matters for future reference-site arguments in the region.

Pohl’s reference to an established local presence suggests Enercon is not parachuting in for one contract. Whether that local set-up translates into a durable service and logistics advantage is the question any facilities manager evaluating long-term operational carbon risk from a wind asset would want answered before the servicing contract terms are scrutinised.

Qair’s portfolio claim and what it implies for Cobadin 1

On the developer side, Qair Group chief operating officer Charles Lhermitte stated: ‘I am thrilled to announce our collaboration with Enercon in Romania, building on our successful partnerships in Iceland and France. I am particularly enthusiastic about integrating the E-175 platform into our portfolio, which already manages nearly 1GW under the expertise of my teams.’

The nearly 1GW portfolio figure is Lhermitte’s own characterisation. It spans multiple geographies (Iceland and France are specifically cited alongside Romania) so it should not be read as a Romania-only number. What it does signal is that Qair is not a first-time wind developer; the company has operational experience with large-rotor turbines and multi-country asset management. That context makes the Romania entry less of a speculative bet and more of a deliberate geographic expansion.

The Cobadin 1 project sits in the Constanța region, historically one of Romania’s most active wind corridors. Romania’s wind resource is well regarded across the sector, and the Romanian Wind Energy Association has long identified the country’s southeastern plains as among the most productive onshore wind zones in Europe. Whether grid connection terms and permitting timelines align with the July 2027 delivery schedule is a practical question the announcement does not address.

Lhermitte’s framing of the deal as building on existing Enercon partnerships in Iceland and France also raises an implicit expectation: that the collaboration in Romania will be smoother for the prior experience. That may be true. It is also the kind of claim that tends to appear in every cross-border supply announcement regardless of whether lessons were genuinely transferred.

The more concrete marker to watch is the commissioning date. Late August 2027 is the stated target. If the E-175 EP5 E2 reaches the Constanța grid on schedule, Enercon will have its Romanian reference site. If it does not, the “proof of competitiveness” language will require revision.