Lithuania’s parliament on Thursday ordered the National Audit Office to conduct an audit into the role of state-owned enterprises in the development of the Curonian Nord offshore wind project in the Baltic Sea.
Seventy-nine MPs voted in favour of the audit, with 20 against and 10 abstaining.
The audit will focus on the first 700-megawatt wind park being developed by Ignitis Renewables, a subsidiary of state-owned Ignitis Group, in partnership with Ocean Winds, a global offshore wind developer.
The probe was requested by the Parliament Audit Committee and the Committee on Energy and Sustainable Development, both chaired by members of the Nemunas Dawn party, part of the ruling coalition.
The auditors will assess the justification and legality of the use of funds allocated to the project, the distribution of financial risks between partners and its impact on national interests.
Some opposition Conservative MPs criticised the move, warning it could be used to discredit a strategic energy project and arguing that an internal commission appointed by the finance and energy ministers would be better suited to assess the situation.
BNS reports that the Energy and Sustainable Development Committee acknowledged that the project is of strategic importance to Lithuania’s energy security. However, despite the development rights being awarded jointly to Ignitis and Ocean Winds only Ignitis Renewables is financing the project from its own resources – rather than paying those funds as dividends to the state, raising concerns.
In February, Ignitis Group acknowledged that delays in large-scale electrolysis and green hydrogen projects across Europe and the Baltic region have made it harder to secure long-term power purchase agreements. As a result, financing the offshore wind park – which is expected to cost around €3 billion – could become more difficult.
This could delay the start of commercial operations, currently scheduled for 2030, by up to five years.
Under the terms of the 2023 tender, Ignitis Renewables and its international partner Ocean Winds won the right to develop Lithuania’s first offshore wind farm without state aid.
According to BNS, the consortium paid €20 million to the state for the rights to develop the farm and has since spent a further €30 million on seabed surveys, feasibility studies, and staff wages.
Ignitis Group has pledged to cooperate with the National Audit Office as it carries out the audit of the project, which is expected to be completed by mid-November, BNS reports.
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