Albania extends application deadline for first wind farms auction

Investors interested to participate in Albania’s first wind power auction will have three more months to send proposals. The deadline is now in May 2023.

The Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy of Albania is running a two-stage tender for the selection of several onshore wind power projects with a capacity between 10 MW and 75 MW each. The ministry intends to choose projects with total installed capacity of 100 MW for contracts for difference (CfDs) for power purchases over 15 years, but there is a possibility to increase capacity to 150 MW.

The qualification stage is underway

Currently the qualification stage is underway, and the developers have the opportunity to apply by June 13. The deadline for sending proposals for second stage was in February 2023, and now it is in May 2023.

The ministry has decided to prolong it after several requests from bidders, but also to introduce some other changes.

The deadline was changed in order to give more time to prepare bids

The deadline has been extended to allow bidders more time to select sites, obtain preliminary permits and collect site data for the energy yield assessment and for the environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA), all of which are requirements at the second stage, the ministry said.

The ministry intends to announce pre-qualified Bidders in August 2022, and selected bidders in June 2023.

Of note, Albania doesn’t have a single wind power plant yet, but there is vast potential.

Recently, Albania’s transmission system operator OST said it expects wind and solar power plants connected to its network to reach a combined 220.4 MW next year or almost ten times more than the current capacity.