Klaipėda Port builds key infrastructure for offshore wind

The Port of Klaipėda is carrying out a major project to support Lithuania’s

plans to develop offshore wind farms.

Quays are now being constructed in the area of the former International

Ferry Terminal.

Back in May 2022, the Klaipėda Port Authority and cargo handling company

Klasco signed an investment agreement, launching the development of port

infrastructure needed for Lithuania’s future offshore wind projects.

The project at Klaipėda Port is scheduled for completion by the end of

2026.

By 2035, two offshore wind parks with a combined capacity of around 1.4

gigawatts (GW) are expected to be operating in Lithuania’s exclusive economic

zone of the Baltic Sea near Palanga.

Together they could generate up to 6 terawatt-hours (TWh) of green

electricity a year – enough to cover around half of Lithuania’s current

electricity demand.

The first tender for a 700 megawatt (MW) offshore wind park was announced

on 30 March 2023. The winners were a joint venture between Ignitis Renewables

and OW Offshore S.L.

Algis Latakas, CEO of the Klaipėda State Seaport Authority, said: “Klaipėda

Port is moving with Lithuania’s ambitions to build offshore wind parks in the

Baltic Sea.

“We’re preparing to become a key base for this project – setting up areas

where turbine components can be assembled, handled and stored.

“Right now, in the southern part of the port at the former International

Ferry Terminal, the constructor Tilsta is carrying out the first stage of

infrastructure works – reconstructing quays.”

Last month, Klaipėda State Seaport Authority secured a quay lease at

Jurbarkas, setting the stage for the creation of a new inland cargo port along

Lithuania’s Nemunas River.