Romania maps out 11.5GW Black Sea offshore wind pipeline
Key Takeaways
- •The draft decision identifies 11 offshore wind concession areas in the Black Sea with a combined capacity of 11.5GW.
- •The first phase includes three fixed-bottom sites totaling 3.1GW and is intended to support Romania’s 3GW offshore wind target for 2035.
- •The second phase covers two more fixed-bottom areas with 2.4GW of potential capacity, but they would require moving existing military zones.
- •The third phase is a 6GW deepwater area that is expected to need floating wind or other deepwater foundation technology.
- •The Ministry of Energy is accepting comments on the draft until July 31.
Romania’s government has published a draft decision identifying 11 offshore wind concession areas in the Black Sea with a combined potential capacity of 11.5GW.
The first phase covers three fixed-bottom sites with a combined capacity of 3.1GW. These areas are intended to support the government’s target of installing 3GW of offshore wind by 2035 under its Energy Strategy 2025-2035.
A second phase includes two further fixed-bottom areas with a potential capacity of 2.4GW. Developing these sites would require relocating existing military zones. The third phase consists of a 6GW deepwater area expected to require floating wind or other deepwater foundation technology. Approval of the areas is required before Romania can launch competitive concession procedures, making the draft an early but necessary step in turning the country’s offshore wind plans into a permitting and auction framework.
The draft decision cites the World Bank’s Offshore Wind Roadmap for Romania, which estimates the country’s technical offshore wind potential at around 76GW. Of this, approximately 22GW could be developed using fixed-bottom foundations and 54GW through floating wind technology. Average wind speeds in the proposed development areas exceed 7.5 metres per second.
Under the roadmap, Romania could reach as much as 7GW under an accelerated development path or 3GW under a moderate scenario.
The government estimates the sector could generate between €16bn and €27bn ($18.2bn and $30.7bn) in added value for the Romanian economy. The Ministry of Energy is accepting feedback on the draft for the offshore wind concession areas by July 31.