Lithuania’s parliament – Seimas – has passed a package of laws for the development of offshore wind off the country’s coast and has given the green light to the first offshore wind farm in Lithuania.
The adopted amendments to the Laws on Renewable Energy and Electricity outline the course of the auction to be held in the second half of next year, as well as the technical conditions for the installation of the park, and the principles for pricing the energy produced.
The package will enter into force upon signature by the country’s President Gitanas Nauseda.
The 700MW wind farm could be operational as early as 2028.
In total, at least four offshore wind farms could be developed on the Lithuanian coast, the Ministry of Energy said.
The capacity and timing of other projects will depend on future research and the completion of infrastructure and other preparatory work, it added.
In preparation for next year’s auction, the Ministry of Energy is consulting with potential developers.
Discussions include the connection of the wind farm to the transmission networks, voltage, the connection corridor width and other technical issues of the project, as well as legal changes related to project implementation, timetables and future wind farm construction.
The Ministry has already started procedures for the preparation of the special plan, the strategic environmental impact assessment, environmental and public health impact assessments, seabed and wind speed studies and other preparatory work.
The Lithuanian Energy Agency has selected local companies Geobaltic and Garant Diving together with Polish company Lotos Petrobaltic to carry out geophysical and geotechnical surveys for the country’s first offshore wind to be built off the coast of the Baltic state.
The work is to be carried out within 11 months of the contract signing, with the results to help determine the type of wind farm turbines and foundations, the Ministry of Energy said.