Minister of Energy Dainius Kreivys met today with representatives of Palanga city municipality and community, to whom he presented the planned first offshore wind park in the Baltic countries and the development of green energy in Lithuania.
„Pirmasis vėjo elektrinių parkas Baltijos jūroje – vienas iš svarbiausių Lietuvos energetinės nepriklausomybės projektų. Jis ne tik priartins mus prie svarbiausio tikslo – visiškos energetinės nepriklausomybės, bet ir užtikrins vietinės elektros energijos generaciją bei žemas elektros kainas gyventojams“, – susitikime sakė D. Kreivys.
The offshore wind farm, which will begin to operate in 2028 in the part of the exclusive economic zone of the Republic of Lithuania in the Baltic Sea near Palanga with a capacity of approximately 700 MW, is expected to generate up to 3 TWh of green electricity per year in the Baltic States, which would meet up to a quarter of Lithuania’s electricity demand. The offshore wind farm is also expected to attract more than EUR 1 billion in investments and create at least 1,300 new jobs.
"Green energy is undoubtedly a priority of our state. On this issue, we have met with the representatives of the Ministry of Energy several times, we have raised a relevant question for the resort community regarding the location of the wind farm and its distance from the coast. I am glad that the Ministry of Energy listened to the comments made by Palanga City Municipality, analyzed the situation in great detail and made the best possible decisions," says Palanga City Mayor Šarūnas Vaitkus.
At the meeting, the Minister emphasized that today, when the global prices of energy raw materials are shaped not by the market, but by geopolitical tensions, the rapid development of green energy is the only sustainable way for Lithuania to avoid drastic price increases and secure independence from electricity imports. in 2030 the total installed capacity of green energy should reach 7 GW; offshore wind farms would generate about 1.4 GW.
It is estimated that a park of approximately 700 MW of power plants in the Baltic Sea could produce up to 2 TWh of green electricity per year. This would ensure up to a quarter of Lithuania's electricity needs.
It is planned that the auction for the developer of the first wind farm will be announced in 2023. II half-year. In preparation for it, legislative amendments were adopted by the Seimas, which provide for the course of the park developer's auction, the technical conditions for the installation of the park, and the principles of the pricing of produced energy. A special plan of the area is also being prepared, the impact on the environment is assessed, a seabed survey is carried out, and wind speed and other parameters are measured. The power plants will be located 30-40 km from the coast.
In total, at least 4 offshore wind power parks could be developed on the coast of Lithuania. The capacity and installation timing of the other parks will depend on future research and the completion of infrastructure and other preparatory work.
The illustration shows a visualization of the future offshore wind park as seen from Palanga Bridge.
