The bill for offshore wind farms is up for public consultation

The development of offshore wind farms with a capacity of 2 gigawatts by 2030 is the goal of the regulations of the relevant bill of the Ministry of Environment and Energy, which was put to public consultation today.

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What the bill includes

The draft law designates the Hellenic Hydrocarbons Management Company (EDEY, which has until now been responsible for the concessions of areas for hydrocarbon research) as the competent body for the preparation of the technical studies for the identification and delimitation of the Organized Development Areas for offshore wind farms. With the technical study, the Installation Areas for offshore windfarms are proposed, according to criteria that ensure their technical and financial independence, as well as the sustainability of the projects that are installed within the areas.

The parks will be awarded through competitive procedures, with the award criterion being the lowest price per megawatt hour produced. The bill sets minimum conditions for participation for interested parties, who must have at least 10 years of experience in the development and operation of offshore wind farms with a capacity of at least 100 megawatts and must have an annual turnover (cumulative if it is a Consortium) of at least 2 billion euros. In addition to technical and financial suitability, the granting of a license also assumes that no national security issues are raised.

The bill also stipulates that Independent Power Transmission Operator S.A. (IPTO) is solely responsible for the planning, development, construction and operation of the interconnection projects of the offshore wind farms with the national transmission system. The construction costs of the interconnection projects will be recovered by IPTO through the System Usage Charges.