Lithuania may have its first offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea between 2031 and 2033, according to Darius Maikštėnas, CEO of the state-controlled energy company Ignitis Group.

“One [farm] is being developed, and a tender for another is underway. I don’t think there will be an offshore wind farm in 2030, but after 2030 – between 2031 and 2033 – it is quite realistic to have the first one. If there is demand for more, the group will be fully prepared to develop additional projects during that period,” Maikštėnas said during a meeting with the Social Democratic political group in the Seimas on Wednesday.

Ignitis Group, together with its partners, is currently developing a 700-megawatt (MW) commercial offshore wind project called Curonian Nord. In early June, a tender was launched for the development of a second 700 MW offshore wind farm, with the selected developer eligible for state support.

In its annual report published in February, Ignitis Group acknowledged that delays in large-scale electrolysis and green hydrogen projects in Europe and the Baltic states, along with the resulting challenges in securing long-term power purchase agreements, could complicate the financing of the €3 billion offshore wind project.

As a result, the commercial launch of the project – initially planned for 2030 – could be delayed by up to five years, pushing its completion to around 2035.

This timeline has drawn criticism from Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas, President Gitanas Nausėda, and several other politicians.

In 2023, Ignitis Renewables, a subsidiary of Ignitis Group, along with its partner Ocean Winds – a global offshore wind developer – won the tender to develop Lithuania’s first offshore wind farm without state aid.

Earlier announcements indicated that the second offshore wind farm is expected to start generating electricity around 2033.

Source: BNS

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