The Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority of Estonia (CPTRA) disclosed plans to conduct two online auctions aimed at facilitating the development of offshore wind farms in the Liivi 1 and Liivi 2 sea regions, situated to the northwest of Ruhnu island.
The CPTRA outlined in a press release that it had received competitive applications for a superficies license from seven well-qualified companies, necessitating the initiation of a competitive bidding process. The seven contenders in this exciting endeavor are OU Utilitas Wind, Liivi Offshore OU, Aker Offshore Wind Europe GmbH, VIRU KEEMIA GRUPP AS, Sunly Wind OU, Edel Offshore Wind OU, and UAB Ignitis Renewables Projektai 6.
The auction for the development rights in the Liivi 2 area is scheduled to be conducted from December 7 to December 13, 2023. Subsequently, the auction for the Liivi 1 sea area will be launched on January 11 and continue until January 17, 2024.
The ultimate victors will be determined based on the highest bid submitted during the auctions. Notably, the starting prices for securing development rights stand at EUR 1.17 million (USD 1.25 million) for Liivi 1 and EUR 1.72 million for Liivi 2.
CPTRA emphasized that following the announcement of the winners, the procedures for superficies licenses and environmental impact assessments (EIS) will commence within 90 days. Subsequently, the successful bidders will be required to present their EIS programs to the authority within 18 months.
Both Liivi 1 and Liivi 2 occupy a promising geographical location suitable for the advancement of wind energy projects, in accordance with the Estonian maritime spatial plan.
