Lithuania's second 700-MW offshore wind tender kicks off

Lithuania has fired the starting gun on a delayed tender that will award a 700-MW offshore project set to create the country’s second wind farm in the Baltic sea.

The competitive round was launched by the State Energy Regulatory Council (VERT) on Monday and will be open for submissions by April 14, the Energy Ministry said.

The proposed offshore wind park is planned to be installed within a 136.4-sq-km area in the Baltic Sea located 30 km off the Lithuanian coast and within 2 km off the boundary of a Natura 2000 protected area. The turbines will have a maximum height of 350 metres.

Under the tender regulations, the selected developer will have the right to develop the project with or without state subsidies. The possible state support will be available under a EUR-193-million (USD 204.6m) scheme approved by the European Commission (EC) last year and the winner will receive state aid over 15 years in the form of a variable premium under a two-way contract for difference (CfD).

At least EUR 5 million (USD 5.5m) will have to be allocated by the developer for environmental protection, while roughly EUR 3 million annually should be contributed to municipalities bordering the maritime territory.

Lithuania aims to increase the generation of electricity from renewables to 70% of total domestic electricity consumption by 2030. Ignitis Renewables, a subsidiary of Lithuanian energy company Ignitis Grupe AB, and Ocean Winds were the provisional winners in the country’s inaugural 700-MW offshore wind tender.

Plans for the second tender round were postponed due to economic issues.

(EUR 1.0 = USD 1.095)

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