Two buoys with specialised equipment have been deployed at two predefined locations in the Baltic Sea, as part of a contract signed between Lithuania’s Ministry of Energy and the Spain-based EOLOS Floating LiDAR Solutions.
The anchoring of the buoys was carried out by the Lithuanian Garant Diving company, together with the Spanish specialists.
For one year, the two buoys will measure wind, wave, and current properties as well as atmospheric pressure, air temperature, and relative humidity. The data collected is expected to be processed by the end of July 2023.
This data is essential for the preparation of the upcoming auction for the development of an offshore wind farm with a capacity of 700 MW in the Lithuanian part of the Baltic Sea, the Ministry of Energy said.
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.
The auction for the developer of Lithuania’s first offshore wind farm is planned to be launched in the second half of 2023, with the project expected to be operational as early as 2028.
It is estimated that 700 MW of offshore wind capacity in the Baltic Sea could produce up to 2 TWh of green electricity per year, which would ensure up to a quarter of the country’s electricity demand.
In preparation for the first offshore wind auction, the Ministry of Energy had already started procedures for the preparation of the spatial plan, the strategic environmental impact assessment, environmental and public health impact assessments, seabed and wind speed studies, and other preparatory work.
Poland’s Orlen Group already announced that it will be participating in the upcoming auction.