Deep Wind Offshore Secures 1.5 GW Offshore Wind Site in Estonia

Business & Finance

June 21, 2024, by Adnan Memija

Norway’s Deep Wind Offshore has been named the winner of an auction for the development of an offshore wind farm in the Saare 2.1 area in Estonia.

The only bid was submitted by Deep Wind Offshore in the amount of EUR 2,457,000, which was also the starting price of the auction, according to Estonia’s Consumer Protection and Technical Regulation Authority (CPTRA).

The other two companies that participated in the auction were Estonia Offshore Wind DevCo (Ignitis Group) and Utilitas Wind.

The auction started on 18 June 2024 at 12 p.m., Estonian time, and ended on 20 June 2024 at 12 p.m.

The winner of the auction can now commence with the development of an offshore wind farm in the Saare 2.1 site, which has a water depth between 29 metres and 66 metres and holds an area of 164 square kilometres.

*Description: Excerpt from the map application for construction permits for public water bodies in the Saare 2.1 area of the Land Board*

According to the application for superficies licence submitted by Deep Wind Offshore on 28 March 20224, up to 98 wind turbines with a total capacity of up to 1,560 MW are planned to be installed in the Saare 2.1 area.

Superficies licence proceedings together with an environmental impact assessment (EIA) will commence in relation to the winner of the auction within 90 days from the confirmation of the winner, said CPTRA.

“Deep Wind Offshore stays committed to developing more than 10 GW of offshore wind within 10 years. This means both continuing to develop projects in our core markets and to exploit opportunities in new markets. With this award, Estonia is set to become a core market,” said Knut Vassbotn, CEO of Deep Wind Offshore.

In April, CPTRA announced that it was reviewing ten applications for three offshore wind sites west of Saaremaa.

The ten applications were submitted by Estonia Offshore Wind DevCo (Ignitis Group), Deep Wind Offshore, and Utilitas Wind for all three sites – Saare 2.1, Saare 2.2 and Saare 3 – and by Sunly Wind for the Saare 3 site.

The auction for Saare 2.2 will take place from 26 June at 12 p.m. to 28 June at 12 p.m.