The government of Lithuania has identified the location of the country’s first offshore wind farm. The site is about 29 km from the shore in the Baltic Sea and covers an area of 137.5 m2 in average water depths of 35 m. Average wind speeds in the zone are 9 m/s. A tender for the rights to the site is planned for early 2023, the government said.
The wind farm will have a capacity of up to 700 MW. The Lithuanian Energy Agency will carry out an strategic environmental assessment and the environmental impact assessment ahead of the tender.
Energy minister Zygimantas Vaiciunas said: “By employing offshore wind, we will achieve our ambitious renewable energy targets and reduce electricity imports from other countries. Our goal is to develop offshore wind in the most efficient and competitive way, and this will also be an opportunity to attract world-class investors to Lithuanian energy.”
The government has already approved regulatory changes to allow the construction of offshore wind farms. It is also working on legislation providing a support scheme for offshore wind energy.
