Lithuania’s Baltic Sea Offers Favorable Conditions for Development of Offshore Wind Farms

October 9, 2023, by Adnan Memija

The Baltic Sea has favorable conditions for the development of offshore wind farms, according to the wind speed and other hydrometeorological parameters conducted by the Spain-based EOLOS Floating LiDAR Solutions.

In July last year, two buoys with specialised equipment were deployed at two predefined locations in the Baltic Sea, as part of a contract signed between Lithuania’s Ministry of Energy and EOLOS Floating LiDAR Solutions.

Throughout the year, wind speeds and direction were measured at different heights from 10 to 280 metres as well as other parameters such as air temperature, atmospheric pressure, relative humidity, wave height, strength and direction of currents, and water level.

For potential developers, the data collected by the buoys will help them to select wind turbine models, and assess production capacity and lifetime, according to the Ministry of Energy.

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Analyzed data shows that the average wind speed at a height of 100-200 m is between 9.0 and 9.6 m/s, the Ministry of Energy said.

The highest wind speeds were recorded in the cold season: October and December-March (on average 10-13 m/s), and the maximum average wind speed of 10 minutes during the entire measurement period at 150 m height was 28.6 m/s, according to the press release.

As reported earlier, Lithuania completed its first 700 MW offshore wind tender, with Ocean Winds and its strategic partner Ignitis Renewables announced as the provisional winners.

The wind farm is expected to generate up to 3 TWh of electricity, which would meet up to 25 percent of Lithuania’s current electricity demand. The offshore wind farm will operate under market conditions, the developers said.

At the end of 2022, the Lithuanian Ministry of Energy brought forward an amendment package to the Laws on Renewable Energy and Electricity which facilitates the country’s second 700 MW tender and accelerated tendering procedures.

It is expected that the second offshore wind farm, planned to be put out to tender this autumn, could produce its first power as early as 2028.