Port of Klaipeda to develop offshore wind farms
In the coming years, the Port of Klaipeda, the single Lithuanian commercial harbour, will become a base for the development of offshore wind energy in the Baltic country. First, it will be a transhipment hub for the wind farm components. Afterwards, the Lithuanian port will turn into a storage facility for transmitting offshore energy to the hinterland.
An offshore wind farm with a total power of around 700 megawatts will be built close to the Port of Klaipeda in Lithuania. The necessary components for the development of the offshore facilities will be handled and stored at the port terminals. To this end, an area of 70 hectares in the southern part of the port could be dedicated to these activities. The procurement procedure for the selection of a wind farm construction service provider will take place in 2023.
Survey
The development of offshore wind energy in the Baltic Sea is a part of Lithuania’s National Energy Strategy as well as the National Energy and Climate Action Plan. Before launching the project, the port authority interviewed its customers to find out their opinion regarding this issue. “The seaport authority has conducted a survey of existing port users who, taking into account their business and development plans, would be interested in diversifying part of their activities for wind farm production or storage activities in the future. The results of the survey demonstrated that port users would be interested in the possibilities of wind farm development,” said Algis Latakas, director-general of the Klaipeda State Seaport Authority.