Lithuania is preparing for the second offshore wind auction: on Tuesday, the Ministry of Energy, together with offshore wind park developers and those interested in offshore wind park development, held a public consultation to discuss the preparations for the auction, the terms and conditions of the auction, and the planned date of the procurement.

“Offshore wind farms, together with onshore renewable energy projects, are crucial to strengthening Lithuania’s energy independence. Due to changes in economic circumstances, the situation in the renewable energy sector worldwide is changing dynamically and this is influencing investors’ plans”, says Daiva Garbaliauskaitė, Deputy Minister of Energy. “During the consultation year, our aim is not only to provide them with all the information they need about the planned auction, but also to secure feedback from investors, which will help us to organise a competitive auction on the most attractive terms.”

At the remote meeting, market participants were informed about the EUR 193 million Lithuanian support scheme for offshore wind farms approved by the European Commission. They were also briefed on the legislation governing the project, the preparatory work carried out on the seabed, wind speeds, environmental impact assessment and further work. A possible date for the auction was also discussed during the meeting. Following consultation, the auction is planned to be launched in January next year, with the exact date to be decided by the Government in the near future.

The public consultation was attended by more than 100 pre-registered participants.

We would like to note that a 700 MW power plant park in the Baltic Sea could produce up to 3 TWh of green electricity per year, which would provide up to a quarter of Lithuania’s electricity needs and reduce the country’s dependence on electricity imports. The area of the first offshore wind park in the Baltic Sea is 136 km2 and the distance to the Port of Klaipėda is about 38 kilometres.

Source: Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Lithuania