The Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (MENR) has launched a tender for the delivery of site investigations and consultancy services for three development zones in the Sea of Marmara. The work is expected to set the stage for the country’s first offshore wind tender.
The work will encompass metocean and wind resource measurements, as well as managing other surveys, but also a feasibility analysis and preparing preliminary framework for auction design.
These initial activities will be performed for the three development zones that MENR’s Directorate General of Energy Affairs (DGEA) has identified in the Marmara Sea.
“Thereafter the work will necessarily focus on the Zone or Zones with the highest demonstrable potential to lead to the allocation of sea-bed rights, following a successful auction. A decision gate will be included before geological, geophysical and geotechnical surveys to agree the future allocation of funding and application of high cost surveys to ensure value for money is achieved”, the tender document states.
The contract will include project management of wind, metocean, environmental, geotechnical and geophysical investigations for the Turkish government, with metocean and floating LiDAR surveys to be carried out by the party awarded under this tender.
For geological, geophysical and geotechnical surveys, which will be awarded through a separate tender, the consultancy will develop a Terms of Reference.
Furthermore, the contractor will conduct a desk analysis of technical and economic feasibility and deliver an economic and financial pre-feasibility report for offshore wind development for the specific sites.
The consultancy selected through this tender will also review legislation to enable offshore wind development and come up with the first steps for the design of the offshore wind auction(s). This is limited to an initial framework for the leasing design, including commercial design, delivery timelines and performance expectations etc.
Turkey announced the launch of its first offshore wind auction in 2018, when the country planned to procure 1.2 GW of offshore wind capacity.
However, the auction received little interest from developers, according to MENR, which then postponed it.
The Ministry states in the tender document for consultancy services that the low interest in 2018 was due to limited site preparation as well as the combination of a high price ceiling.
“Consequently, MENR’s Directorate General of Energy Affairs (DGEA) decided to focus on de-risking the project and increasing transparency for bidders before issuing a new auction, and the EU agreed to provide financial assistance for site preparation […] and auction design activities under the EU IPA 2019 Program (IPA 2019)”.
MENR has received a grant from the European Union toward the cost of the EU Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA) Energy Sector Program Phase IV Project and intends to use part of the proceeds for consulting services, including those sought in the latest tender.
Under its National Energy Plan, announced in 2022, Turkey aims to have 5 GW of installed offshore wind capacity by 2035.
According to the World Bank, Turkey has a technical offshore wind potential of 75 GW , with 12 GW of this deemed most suitable for fixed-bottom and 63 GW for floating offshore wind.