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Ignitis Seeks Delay to 700MW Curonian Nord Wind Farm
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Ignitis Group and its subsidiary Ignitis Renewables want Lithuania to let them pause the 700MW Curonian Nord offshore wind farm and resume it once conditions improve. On 21 October the companies asked the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Finance to adjust the project's timetable. They blamed two pressures. Stalled electrolysis projects in Europe would have bought the power under long-term contracts. Offshore turbine components face supply-chain trouble. The Ministry of Energy has said it backs longer deadlines. Work towards a 2027 construction permit goes on, but no new date for commercial operation has been given. Ignitis Group expects to decide the project's future by the end of 2026.
Key takeaways
- The request: On 21 October, Ignitis Group and Ignitis Renewables wrote to Lithuania's energy and finance ministries, requesting that they weigh a postponement of Curonian Nord, the 700MW offshore wind farm.
- The causes: Ignitis Group links the request to delayed electrolysis projects across Europe, which have cut its chances of signing power purchase agreements, and to supply problems with offshore turbine components.
- The deadline: VERT chair Renatas Pocius says commercial operation is currently due by 12 February 2030, and the regulator must apply daily penalties if that is missed.
- The audit: In November 2025, Lithuania's National Audit Office concluded that planned spending on the project had climbed by 27 per cent within two years, and that expected returns had dropped by roughly 40 per cent.
Table of contents
Why Ignitis Wants the Clock Stopped on Curonian Nord
Ignitis Group pointed first to delays in large electrolysis projects across Europe. Electrolysis uses electricity to split water into hydrogen, and plants of that kind are big, steady power users. With fewer of them moving ahead, the group has had fewer chances to sign power purchase agreements. These are long-term contracts in which a buyer commits to take a generator's output at an agreed price.
The second problem sits in the supply chain. Ignitis Group said components for offshore wind turbines have been affected by supply problems. That adds uncertainty over when a project of this scale could realistically be built.
The companies are not abandoning Curonian Nord. They have asked for timetable changes that would let development restart once market, financing or technology conditions shift. In effect, they want the right to wait without losing the project.
What Ignitis Is Asking Lithuania to Change
The companies set out three requests. They want development and permitting deadlines to match the real time an offshore wind farm takes to build. They want financial commitments tied to the start of construction. They also want quicker procedures for the onshore infrastructure the project depends on.
The Ministry of Energy said it supports extending the deadlines and is ready to start amending legislation, as first reported by the Lithuanian news agency BNS. That backing matters because the current timetable is fixed in the regulatory regime, not just in the company's plans.
Commercial operation is currently due by 12 February 2030, according to Renatas Pocius, who chairs the National Energy Regulatory Council (VERT). Under the rules, he said, a missed deadline triggers penalties that the regulator has no discretion over and must levy for every day of delay. Unless the law changes, any slippage would therefore keep costing the developer.
Rising Costs Had Already Squeezed the Project
The request follows a critical audit. In November 2025 the National Audit Office found that the project's planned cost had climbed 27 per cent over two years. Expected returns had dropped by roughly 40 per cent over the same review.
The site itself is substantial. It covers about 120 square kilometres of the Baltic Sea and sits no closer than 37 kilometres to the Lithuanian coast. The project had been aiming to begin operating around 2030.
Preparation for a 2027 construction permit continues, so development has not stopped. Ignitis Group has not named a new operation date, though, and says it will decide how to proceed by the end of 2026. Higher costs, thinner returns and weak demand for contracts together explain why a pause appeals to the developer more than pressing on.
| Date | Milestone | Source |
|---|---|---|
| November 2025 | Audit finds 27% cost rise, returns down about 40% | National Audit Office |
| 21 October | Postponement request to ministries | Ignitis Group |
| End of 2026 | Decision on further implementation | Ignitis Group |
| 2027 | Construction permit targeted | Ignitis Group |
| 12 February 2030 | Current commercial operation deadline | VERT |
What could revive or sink Curonian Nord
The case for
- The Ministry of Energy supports longer deadlines and is ready to propose legislative amendments.
- Permitting work towards a 2027 construction permit is continuing, preserving the project's position.
- Tying financial commitments to the start of construction would reduce exposure while the project waits.
The case against
- Delayed European electrolysis projects have reduced the buyers available for long-term power contracts.
- Planned costs rose 27 per cent over two years while projected returns fell by about 40 per cent.
- Turbine component supply problems remain unresolved, and no new operation date has been set.
What to be careful about
- If the law is not amended, VERT says it must apply daily penalties once the 12 February 2030 operation deadline is missed.
- Demand for long-term power contracts depends on European electrolysis projects that Ignitis Group says are already delayed.
- Further cost increases would erode returns that the National Audit Office found had already fallen by about 40 per cent.
The bottom line
Curonian Nord now depends on two parallel decisions. Lithuania would need to amend the rules that set the 12 February 2030 operation deadline and the daily penalties behind it, and the Ministry of Energy has signalled it is willing to start that process. Ignitis Group, for its part, has promised a verdict on the project by the end of 2026. The deeper problem is not one a timetable change can fix. A 700MW wind farm needs buyers for its power, and Ignitis Group links the shortage of long-term contracts to stalled electrolysis projects across Europe. Until that demand returns, a postponement buys time rather than a business case.
What to watch
- Ignitis Group's decision on the project's further implementation, which it says is due by the end of 2026.
- Watch for the Ministry of Energy's legislative amendments to extend the deadlines; no date has been set.
- Watch whether the construction permit, targeted for 2027, is still pursued on schedule if the timetable is extended.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if Curonian Nord misses its 2030 deadline?
Because a missed deadline would, by the account of Renatas Pocius, chair of Lithuania's National Energy Regulatory Council, leave the regulator bound to levy penalties day by day, Ignitis wants the law amended to move the current commercial operation date of 12 February 2030.
How much have Curonian Nord's costs risen?
The National Audit Office's November 2025 findings showed a 27 per cent increase in planned costs across a two-year span, alongside a drop of about 40 per cent in projected returns.
Where would the Curonian Nord wind farm be built?
The 700MW wind farm would cover around 120 square kilometres of the Baltic Sea. It would sit at least 37 kilometres off the Lithuanian coast.
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