The Lithuanian company has invited expressions of interest in the strategic partnership, and plans to decide on potential suitors by the end of the year.
During the first phase of the partnership, Lietuvos Energija would take a minority stake in a project within the European Economic Area at a late stage of development.
This would help it gain knowledge and expertise in project development, it stated.
The energy company would then take a more active role in co-developing offshore wind farms in the Lithuanian Baltic Sea.
Lietuvos Energija plans to add up to 3GW of new energy capacity by 2030, with wind power — onshore and offshore — accounting for more than half, according to a National Energy Independence Strategy released last year.
The remaining new capacity would consist of solar PV, biofuel and waste-to-power projects.
"In order to realise our ambitions, we look for an experienced partner with a proven track record who would bring best-practises and expertise in building offshore wind projects," said Dominykas Tuckus, a member of the board at Lietuvos Energija.
Under the strategy, Lithuania would increase the share of renewable energy in its total electricity consumption to 30% by 2020, 38% by 2025 and then 45% by 2030.
Wind power would account for 44% of renewable sources by 2020 and 53% by 2030.
This would enable it to meet renewable energy targets and reduce its dependence on fossil fuel imports for energy usage, according to the document.
The strategy also forecast offshore wind development in the Lithuanian Baltic Sea after 2020.
Lithuania currently has 521MW of operational onshore wind power capacity, according to “uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç Intelligence, the research and data division of “uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç.
Tenders
Lietuvos Energija suggested that one route to market for offshore wind could in Lithuania be through competitive auctions.
The Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, approved amendments to the country’s Law on Energy from Renewable Sources in December, paving the way for clean energy auctions.
In September, the Lithuanian ministry of energy is due to announce further details regarding the first technology-neutral clean energy tender for projects capable of providing 300GWh/year, a spokesman said.
Developers will compete for premiums to day-ahead market prices, and winners are likely to be announced in the first quarter of 2020, he added.
However, offshore wind will not be eligible to compete in this tender.
Lietuvos Energija urged the government to carry out the "necessary preparatory works" to launch auction rounds for offshore wind.
The Lithuanian Energy Agency is currently carrying out assessments to determine the best sites for offshore wind development, the energy ministry spokesman added.
Lithuania plans to procure enough clean energy capacity to generate 2.5TWh/year by 2025.
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