Ørsted eyes cross-border offshore wind in the Baltic Sea

Ørsted has partnered with utility Enefit to develop cross-border Baltic Sea offshore wind capacity, delivering power to both Estonia and Latvia.

The companies plan to establish a joint venture (JV) to first deliver the up-to 1000MW Liivi Liivi (1000MW) OffshoreGulf of Riga, Estonia, Europe Click to see full details project in the Estonian Gulf of Riga.

Last year, the Estonian and Latvian governments signed a pact for the offshore wind farm, which would deliver power to both countries. 

Subject to a supportive regulatory framework being in place, Ørsted and Enefit aim to complete this project by 2030. 

However, it is not yet clear how any competive process for offshore wind off Estonia and Latvia might work, an Ørsted spokesman told Windpower Monthly.

Ørsted has also submitted an application for an area in Latvian waters near Liivi site. This site would have a capacity below 1GW, although the developer has not made a firm decision on capacity. It is also not yet clear when it might be online, or how it might be contracted.

However, Ørsted expects to receive a decision on the lease within six months.

Through these sites, the partners aim to pursue a cross-border solution to connect an offshore wind farm to both Latvia and Estonia. They would use offshore wind transmission cables as an interconnector between the two countries, the JV partners explained.

Rasmus Errboe, Head of Region Continental Europe at Ørsted, says: “The sheer size of offshore wind farms makes them ideal for cross-border solutions.

The Baltic Sea area is becoming a centre for offshore wind build-out, which will contribute significantly to the decarbonisation efforts of both the region and the European economy. 

“The Baltic countries can to a large extent be powered by renewable energy from offshore wind, and we look forward to team up with Enefit to realise this potential.”

In 2020, the EU member states around the Baltic Sea signed the Baltic Sea Offshore Wind Declaration to accelerate the build-out of offshore wind in the Baltic Sea to reach both national and international climate targets.