Pyongyang and Moscow appear to be stepping up cooperation with each other amid their international isolation, as a Russian firm is reportedly poised to build wind farms over the next two years to supply electricity to impoverished North Korea.

Wind Power Monthly, a British magazine, reported Monday that RAO Energy System of East, the largest supplier of electricity and heating in the Russia’s Far East region, plans to build four wind farms, which total 40 megawatts, on both sides of the Russian-North Korean border.

Two wind farms will be built in the territory of the Russian Primorye region, to the north of the border with North Korea, and two others inside North Korea in the Rason trade and economic zone, the report said, citing Alex Kaplun, RAO’s deputy head of department of strategy and investments.

All the energy generated by the wind farms, which are expected to be officially commissioned in 2016 or 2017, will be supplied to the reclusive state, the report said. It also noted the possibility of further exports to South Korea and Japan.

The project to generate wind power for the electricity-scarce North came as the two countries have been struggling to cope with international isolation. Russia has been under criticism from the West for its annexation of the Crimean Peninsula last year while the North has been under sanctions for its nuclear and missile development.

The international community has carefully watched the development of Pyongyang-Moscow relations with concerns that the bilateral cooperation could undermine the international efforts to persuade the North to denuclearize.

The North Korean regime has been in desperate need of outside assistance to shore up its debilitated economy and secure public support to strengthen the young leader’s political legitimacy. After the deterioration of its ties with South Korea and China, the two core providers of economic aid, the North apparently turned its policy attention to Russia.

By Song Sang-ho (sshluck@heraldcorp.com)