The Lithuanian Ministry of Energy announced that on Wednesday, August 4, 2021, the government supported the ministry’s motion to adopt regulations supporting the development of offshore wind energy. The regulations concern the conditions for the main tender and the scope of the contest winner’s liability.
“Using the potential of the sea to obtain renewable energy is a priority for both the European Union and our country. Lithuania is still an electricity importer, so the 700 MW offshore wind project will enable it to secure its own green electricity, which will cover up to a quarter of the country’s total demand” – comments Deputy Minister of Energy Daiva Garbaliauskaitė.
She added that if the parliament adopted the necessary amendments to legal acts on time, the first tender for an offshore wind farm could take place as planned – in 2023.
As we read on the website of the ministry, the Lithuanian government has in principle agreed to all the proposals of the Ministry of Energy. They took over the broader responsibility of the developer of the future wind farm: not only will he have to build the power plant, but also take care of the infrastructure to connect it to the onshore grid of the transmission system operator.
In addition, the responsibility for the preparatory work has been shared between the Ministry of Energy and the developer of the future offshore wind farm to ensure the timely completion of the tender.
If a tender for offshore wind energy was held in 2023 and an offshore wind farm with a capacity of 700 MW would be established in the Baltic Sea, electricity production would start in 2030. It would generate up to 3 TWh of electricity per year, which would satisfy up to a quarter of Lithuania’s electricity needs and reduce electricity imports.
