Lithuanian TSO Starts Offshore Wind Integration Feasibility Probe

Lithuanian electricity transmission system operator Litgrid has, in cooperation with Japan’s TEPCO Power Grid, started preparing a study intended to assess technical and economic alternatives for the integration of offshore wind into the power supply system.

Lithuania plans to carry out the auction for the integration of the first 700 MW of offshore wind into the Lithuanian electricity system in 2023.

The overall offshore wind potential in the territorial waters of Lithuania can be up to 3.5 GW, Litgrid said.

In order for the offshore wind integration to take place in a technologically advanced and cost-effective way, it is necessary to evaluate the possible different configurations of the grid, their technical parameters, reliability of the system, the newly emerging market opportunities, socio-economic benefits of such projects.

This is exactly what Litgrid, together with TEPCO, will focus on during the preparation of the study, the TSO said.

The main conclusions of the study are planned to be published in the spring of 2022. Liutauras Varanavičius, the Strategy Department Director at Litgrid, notes that the implementation of such a study is important not only for the efficient implementation of the national energy objectives, but also for the realistic development of the offshore electric power transmission grid in the region.

”The study evaluates alternatives for the development of a hybrid offshore power transmission grid with the neighbouring countries, the potential of the exploitation of the existing and newly constructed interconnectors. Litgrid is actively involved in the initiatives for the development of the offshore power transmission grid in the Baltic Sea region. Thus, the results of the study will provide more arguments for the regional discussions,” said Varanavičius.

The study is conducted taking into account the objectives of Lithuania’s National Energy Independence Strategy, which states that by 2050, 80 per cent of the country’s energy demand will have to be satisfied by energy produced from non-polluting resources, and 100 per cent of the total electricity consumption in the country will be met by locally produced electricity. Development of renewable energy sources, with strong focus on the development of offshore wind, is envisaged as one of the key measures to achieve these objectives, Litgrid said.

This is the second study that is being prepared by Litgrid together with TEPCO. This spring, TEPCO, together with the Baltic operators, evaluated the recommendations and described the minimum requirements for generating electricity from renewable sources.