Competing applications were submitted to the authority in regard to the development of an offshore wind farm in the Saare 1 area. The CPTRA has inspected all of the submitted applications in accordance with the building code and has sent those applications to the relevant state authorities as their opinion is sought. Four companies which submitted a competing application for a superficies licence – these being Aker Offshore Wind Europe GmbH, Respect Energy Holding SA, the UAB ‘Ignitis renewables projektai 6’ company, and OÜ Utilitas Wind – have all qualified to participate in the auction for the Saare Liivi 1 sea area. Due to the fact that as many as four qualifying companies are involved in the bidding process, the building code stipulates that the matter must be settled through an auction.
The Saare 1 maritime area has a total area of 88.0km2 and is located approximately 60km to the west of the island of Saaremaa, in an area which is suitable for the development of wind energy resources according to the Estonian maritime spatial plan.
The auction will take place electronically in the online environment for state land auctions at www.riigimaaoksjon.ee . It will be held between 27 February 2024 at 12:00 (GMT+2) and 29 February 2024 at 12:00 (GMT+2), Estonian time. The starting bid is €1,320,000 and the minimum bid increment is €50,000. The auction has an extending termination point, with the extension step being fifteen minutes.
Excerpt of the Saare 1 area; source: Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority in Estonia
In order to be qualified to take part in the auction, qualified participants must submit an application for participation in the auction, sending this to the CPTRA and paying a deposit of €26,400. Based on applications received for a superficies licence as submitted by those companies which have qualified for the auction, the capacity for the planned offshore wind farm in the Saare 1 area will be within the range of 820-1,200MW.
The auction’s winner will be the participant who has made the highest bid and has paid that amount. Procedures for issuing a superficies licence and carrying out an environmental impact assessment will commence no later than within ninety days of the auction’s winner being announced. The developer who wins the auction must then present their environmental impact assessment programme to the CPTRA within eighteen months, followed by an environmental impact assessment report twenty-four months after the environmental impact assessment programme has been declared to have met the requirements.
In December 2023 and January 2024 the CPTRA conducted auctions for the development of offshore wind farms in the Liivi 1 and Liivi 2 sea areas. In both cases the winner was the UAB ‘Ignitis renewables projektai 6’ company.
The auction announcement for the Saare 1 sea area is available here.
Source: Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority in Estonia
