Lithuania's National Energy Regulatory Council (NERC) has declared the country's second offshore wind tender invalid after attracting only one bidder. 

The tender, for the development of a 700MW wind project, did not meet the minimum requirement of two participants as per Lithuania’s Law on Renewable Energy. 

Initiated on 9 June 2023, the application period for this tender ran until 8 September 2023. However, the tender process was suspended by the government. 

The decision was reportedly aimed at enhancing the chances of successful outcomes, as the tender coincided with the mid-year months when market activity typically declines.  

Following this suspension, the tender resumed on 6 October 2025, with applications open for a day.

Ignitis Renewables, a subsidiary of Ignitis Grupe, was the only bidder to participate. 

In July 2023, Ignitis Renewables, along with Ocean Winds, a joint venture of Engie and EDP Renewables, won the first offshore tender. 

They offered a €20m ($22.02m) development fee to become the provisional winners. 

The tender committee has recommended that NERC officially recognise the tender as invalid, with a resolution expected to be passed at the next NERC meeting. 

NERC stated that the decision to initiate a repeated tender now lies with the government. 

The regulator oversees the tender process, including preparing conditions, managing the committee's operations, and selecting the winning bid. 

The tender committee comprises members from NERC, the Ministry of Energy, the Competition Council, the Lithuanian Energy Agency, Vilnius University, and Kaunas University of Technology. 

Lithuania’s government plans to develop two offshore wind farms with a combined capacity of 1.4GW, as outlined in its National Energy Independence Strategy. 

The resumption and completion of the tender are crucial to align with the support scheme approved by the European Commission.