Connection of offshore wind farm to the electricity transmission grid of Lithuania

Following goals stated in Lithuanian National Energy Independence Strategy and National Energy and Climate Action Plan, Ministry of Energy of Lithuania is set to announce a tender to select the owner and developer of a 700 MW offshore wind farm to be built off the coast of Lithuania in the Baltic Sea. The 700 MW wind farm in the Baltic Sea will cover up to 25 percent of Lithuania's annual electricity demand, thus reducing the need for electricity imports. The tender is scheduled to be held in 2023. It may or may not require interested parties to include costs of electrical connection to mainland grid in their auction bids. The responsibility of offshore grid development is yet to be decided and approved by the Parliament of Lithuania (Seimas). It is expected that related laws shall be approved in 2021. In both cases – if the connection responsibility is assigned to electricity transmission system operator (hereinafter – TSO) or wind farm investor, the offshore wind connection project may benefit by attracting financing from the 3SIIF. The scope of the connection project including but not limited to shall consist of construction of offshore substation, laying of offshore export cable, expansion of onshore substation to which the wind park shall be connected. Prior to the auction, the approved spatial planning and environmental procedures – the special plan, the strategic environmental impact assessment, and the environmental impact assessment – will be performed by the Lithuanian Energy Agency.