The Swedish renewable energy developer Eolus Vind and Germany’s PNE have formed a joint venture to develop the 1 GW Kurzéme offshore wind project, located in the Baltic Sea off the west coast of Latvia. The project will have the potential to generate 4.5 TWh/year of electricity and is expected to start commercial operations before 2030.
Eolus has conducted initial studies and developed the project since 2020. In January 2023, PNE acquired 50% of the shares in the project company SIA Kurzéme Offshore, which is now owned 50/50 by Eolus and PNE. Application for the project has been submitted and surveys for the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) will be conducted once the research license is obtained.
Latvia is currently trying to diversify its power supply sources, in the context of a war in Ukraine that brought strained relations with neighbouring Russia. In 2021, wind power accounted for about 2.5% of Latvia’s installed capacity (81 MW, only onshore) and power generation (139 GWh).