Efforts to advance Lithuania’s offshore wind energy capacity hit a snag as the country cancels its second tender for a wind farm due to lackluster interest from developers.
Lithuania’s National Energy Regulatory Council had set the stage for the tender, which was announced in January this year and closed its application window on April 14. The tender required participation from at least two bidders to proceed effectively. However, only one entity, the state-owned Ignitis Group, showed interest in developing the 700MW wind farm.
Despite comprehensive preparatory work, including environmental impact assessments and seabed studies, alongside enthusiastic governmental support, the tender failed to attract the desired developer engagement.
In response to this setback, the Lithuanian Ministry of Energy has announced plans to engage in consultations with industry stakeholders to explore options for reviving the tender process and potentially setting a new date for its launch.
“The second 700 MW offshore wind farm project holds strategic significance and is crucial for Lithuania’s energy independence. Therefore, following consultations with industry stakeholders, we aim to swiftly relaunch the tender. These consultations will focus on identifying conditions that would optimize the project’s attractiveness and enhance its resilience against market fluctuations,” stated Daniel Kreivys, Lithuania’s Minister of Energy.
Two days ago, BalticWind.EU reported on the first and, as it turned out, only participant in the tender, Ignitis Renewables, an international green energy company. Ignitis Renewables has submitted the necessary documents and bid to the National Energy Regulatory Council (NERC), which is organizing the tender for the second 700-megawatt (MW) Lithuanian offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea.
The decision to participate in the second tender stems from a change in the project implementation schedule. According to the tender’s terms, the project must be implemented within 8 years.
Ignitis Renewables is equipped to participate in this tender independently, having secured rights to develop offshore wind projects in Lithuania and Estonia that meet the tender qualification requirements. “Our long-term strategy is to develop projects with reliable and experienced partners, and if we win the tender, we will immediately start the partner selection process,” says Thierry Aelens, CEO at Ignitis Renewables.
Aelens emphasizes that the company’s participation aligns with Ignitis Group’s goal to quadruple its green generation capacity from the current 1.3 to 4–5 gigawatts (GW). This ambitious objective reinforces the company’s offshore wind development strategy, with Baltic Sea wind farms continuing to hold a prominent position within it.
Source: NERC & Ignitis Renewables
