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The Latvian government has declined the application of the Danish renewable energy company Ørsted for an area in Latvian waters for the potential development of offshore wind, while the search for a suitable location for the Latvian-Estonian joint development project, ELWIND, is ongoing. Enefit will continue to develop the Liivi offshore wind farm in Estonia.

“The Latvian Ministry of Economics and State Chancellery has decided to decline Ørsted’s application for a site in Latvian waters, while the Ministry considers the possible location of the announced ELWIND project. The application may be re-opened, subject to the outcome of the ELWIND site selection process. Ørsted remains committed to developing offshore wind in the Baltics and to our partnership with Enefit in the region,” said Peter Obling, Head of Markets in Region Continental Europe, Ørsted.

„Enefit will continue to develop the Liivi offshore wind farm. The Liivi offshore wind farm is currently the only offshore wind development which has the potential to be completed by 2028. The current EIA process will be completed by 2023. The intention of Enefit will be to be ready for the investment decision by 2025,” said Hando Sutter, CEO of Enefit. Sutter also confirmed that both Eneft and Ørsted are committed to developing offshore wind in the Baltic states and indicated that the work on analyzing potential projects continues.

Offshore wind is the most viable option for large-scale, CO2 free renewable energy to deliver high security of supply in the Baltic Sea region. Estonia and the Baltics urgently need new renewable energy production capacities in order to alleviate the electricity deficit and fully switch to renewable electricity faster. The advantage of an offshore wind farm is a large production volume and better wind conditions.