The Lithuanian Cabinet has approved amendments to the country’s renewable energy law aimed at kick-starting development of offshore wind power generation in the Baltic Sea.
Lithuanian Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičiaus said that this is a long-term project and that the construction of the first wind farms off the country’s Baltic coast is expected to start after 2020.
The time until then will be used to conduct necessary research and preparatory works, Butkevičiaus said.
Lithuania plans to base its approach to the development of its offshore wind potential on solutions used by Denmark and Germany.
The amendments to the law have been sent to the Lithuanian parliament for approval.
The evaluation of offshore wind energy potential showed that 18% of the Lithuanian economic zone with water depths of up to 50 meters would be suitable for offshore wind development. The 6 defined offshore wind zones could support 7.2GW of installed capacity.
According to the Baltic Sea Wind map, the average wind speed at heights of 100 meters in Lithuanian waters is 8.5 to 9.5 m/s.
The wind availability in these areas is over 45%. In the winter season, the offshore wind energy availability reaches 50%.