Estonian government approves first building permit for offshore wind farm

The Estonian government has approved a draft law that would grant the first construction permit in the country’s history for the construction of an offshore wind farm. The permit will be granted to Saare Wind Energy OÜ, which plans to build a wind farm off the west coast of Saaremaa Island.

The planned farm will consist of up to 100 turbines at least 11 km from the coast, with a total capacity of up to 1,400 MW. It could start producing electricity as early as the beginning of 2030. Continue reading “Estonia approves offshore wind farm”

Estonia provides public access to licences and applications via a digital geoportal

The Estonian Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (TTJA), in cooperation with the Land and Spatial Development Authority, has introduced a publicly accessible mapping system where it is possible to view the status of offshore wind energy projects’ “building rights license” (superficies licences) that have been applied for and issued. This digital geoportal, maintained by the Land and Spatial Development Administration, provides transparency, which is essential for assessing investment risk.

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Source: Land and Spatial Development Board (Republic of Estonia), 16.04.2025.

Lithuanian government approves significant changes to 700 MW offshore wind auction rules

Following the announcement in November 2024 and suspension in January 2025 of the 700 MW offshore wind auction, the Lithuanian government has approved amendments to promote competition and reduce the impact on electricity prices. Key changes: price indexation reduced from 23 to 8 years (savings of ~500 million EUR), the auction will only be successful with at least two participants, consumer payments will only start after the park becomes operational (around 2033), profit tax may be redirected to finance public services, and the priority given to offshore wind over onshore wind and solar has been removed. The Ministry of Energy estimates that the park’s operation could reduce the average price of electricity in Lithuania by ~3 EUR/MWh. The amendments will be submitted to the Parliament (Seimas).

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Source: BalticWind.EU, 15.04.2025.

Participation in WindEurope 2025 in Denmark, Copenhagen

Under the project “Life-cycle of an offshore wind farm in the legal framework: the case of Latvia”, participation took place in the WindEurope Annual Event from April 8-10, 2025, in Copenhagen, Denmark. A poster presentation was given with a recorded oral report entitled “State-of-the-art of the legislative framework for the development of offshore wind farms in the Baltic States and Poland.” Continue reading “Participation in WindEurope 2025 conference”

Poland submits draft law to simplify offshore wind farm procedures and improve investment environment

In February 2025, the Polish government submitted amendments to the Act on the Promotion of Electricity Production in Offshore Wind Farms and other regulatory acts to improve the investment environment, accelerate project implementation and implement the requirements of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED III). These include conditional pre-qualification for participation in auctions, an intervention auction mechanism, the possibility for two projects to use one offshore substation, more flexible rules for the placement of turbine foundations, and the possibility for projects that did not receive full support in the first phase to participate in subsequent auctions.

The amendments also introduce a procedure for setting the euro exchange rate for calculating price caps, the development of digital renewable energy potential maps, accelerated development zones and municipal energy cooperatives, which would allow local communities to produce and manage their own energy.

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Sources: Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland, Baker Tilly Legal Poland, 17.03.2025.

Poland maintains leadership in the Baltic Sea with 90 offshore wind projects and a special law

Poland, which already has specific law on offshore wind energy in place since 2021 – the Act on the Promotion of Electricity Production in Offshore Wind Farms, has identified up to 90 project sites, according to 4C Offshore data. In total, Poland aims to develop up to 33 GW of capacity. The country plans to establish detailed marine spatial plans (1:25,000) and mark new zones with digital mapping and accelerated procedures. This legislative approach makes Poland a potential model for other Baltic countries.

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See Polish Wind Energy Association (PSEW); 4COffshore

On February 11, 2025, the Latvian Cabinet of Ministers approved the ELWIND offshore wind farm study area on the western coast of Latvia, covering an area of 200 km², moving it approximately 7 km further out to sea.

The decision was made in response to a citizens’ initiative and an environmental risk assessment, thus confirming the importance of public participation in the development of the project.

ELWIND is a joint project between Latvia and Estonia with a planned capacity of up to 2 GW and a target date for commissioning by 2035. It is considered a potential example of a cross-border renewable energy joint project as provided for in Article 9 of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED III).

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Source: Ministry of Economics (Republic of Latvia), 18.02.2025.

Although Latvia has a maritime spatial planning document with five priority study areas (~1648 km²), there is no specific offshore wind law yet. The draft law ‘On offshore wind park in Latvian offshore waters and the fourth Latvia-Estonia interconnection’ which was intended to regulate the planned offshore wind farm ELWIND on the Latvian side has not yet been adopted. Currently, the regulations originally developed for offshore mining are applied to offshore wind projects.

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See Marine Environment Protection and Management Law, Construction Regulations for Structures in the Internal Waters, Territorial Waters and Exclusive Economic Zone of the Republic of Latvia (Regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 631, 14.10.2014.)

Presentation at the 2^nd FORTHEM Annual Conference

Under the project “Life-cycle of an offshore wind farm in the legal framework: the case of Latvia”, participation took place in the 2^nd FORTHEM Annual Conference “Connecting Worlds of Science & Society,” organized by FORTHEM alliance, including the University of Latvia. Continue reading “Presentation at FORTHEM conference”