People in Croatia say the coastal town of Senj is the windiest place in the country. 

Judging by the number of wind-powered electric generators there, they're not wrong. Senj is a place of choice for investors to build wind farms. 

Until now that's meant EU companies, but China's Norinco has now joined them with 39 windmills that should produce around 530 gigawatt-hours of electricity every year. 

Each windmill is 100 meters high, topped by a propeller 136 meters in diameter. Thirteen windmills are already producing electricity, while the rest will start doing so by the end of the year.

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The grand opening of the entire facility is scheduled for December 7, with Croatia's Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic expected to mark the beginning of the wind farm's 23-year operational life. 

Plenkovic's involvement reflects the significance of the development, which may be the largest Chinese direct investment in Croatia and should spare the world the emission of millions of tons of greenhouse gasses.

Croatia is aiming to become a significant renewable energy producer. This wind farm is one of the largest in the Balkans and despite some reservations about the facilities in general, local environmentalists agree that Croatia needs this type of energy production.

Mate Zec, a conservation officer from the local non-governmental organization BIOM told CGTN: "In the Republic of Croatia, wind energy has its place in resolving the fossil fuel situation. However, to stop using fossil fuels is a matter of the planet's survival and, unquestionably, we have to do something about it."

For Norinco International, the benefit is not just the positive environmental impact but also high expectations of opening doors in the EU for more projects like this. 

Liu Zhen, general manager of Norinco International's Zagreb branch, explained: "We can say this is our first investment in Croatia and the first renewable development in Europe. I believe the success of Senj will bring a very significant impact on Norinco's confidence to work in the European market."

And as long as the world's thirst for "green energy" continues, it's likely there will be a lot of work for Norinco across the globe.