Hungary Launches Tender for 702 MVA of Wind Power Grid Connection Capacity

en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Hungarian Energy and Public Utility Regulatory Authority (MEKH) has officially launched a tender for grid connection capacity for wind power projects, offering a total of 702 megavolt-amperes (MVA) of allocatable transmission capacity across 9 grid nodes in 6 regions. Bids will be accepted from September 4, with a deadline of October 30, and MEKH plans to announce the results no later than December 13. This tender has previously undergone a market survey of national grid connection demand for wind power projects, network analysis, and industry consultation, with the final documents determined in accordance with relevant regulatory amendments and authorization from the energy authority.

The capacity in this round is distributed across multiple nodes in the Ács, Dunaújváros, Iváncsa, Kisbér, Komárom, Ócsa, Székesfehérvár, and Szombathely areas. Among them, the Ócsa node offers approximately 255 MVA of allocatable capacity, and the Szombathely OVIT node approximately 200 MVA, constituting the two largest connection opportunities in this round. All awarded projects can only connect to the grid no earlier than September 30, 2030, and the actual connection dates determined in each project's grid connection plan and access agreement must not be later than September 30, 2032.

The final tender documents also adjusted the project eligibility conditions. The grid connection capacity applied for by bidders must not be less than 14 MVA, corresponding to a wind power project with an installed capacity of no less than 14 MW. In addition, applicants must commit to granting one or more renewable energy communities designated by the Hungarian government a purchase option for a 25% equity stake in the project company; the project company must hold the corresponding grid access rights. These conditions represent adjustments from the previously published draft tender documents.

Hungary has also established dedicated fee rules for this grid capacity allocation. According to MEKH regulations, the fee for obtaining tender documents has been adjusted to 0 forints; for applications with capacity below 1 MVA, between 1 and 14 MVA, and 14 MVA and above, the corresponding participation fees are HUF 1 million, HUF 2 million, and HUF 3 million, respectively. Since the minimum application capacity for wind projects in this round has been set at 14 MVA, the participation fee for projects meeting this tender's scale requirements is HUF 3 million.

Awarded projects must also implement their respective grid connection plans in accordance with the final tender documents. Certain connection nodes and generation-side transmission lines may be required to be shared with other awarded projects, and project sites, connection works, and subsequent construction must continue to advance after the capacity allocation results are obtained. This round of tender allocates grid transmission access rights and capacity, which does not equate to 702 MW of wind power projects having been fully awarded or having entered the construction phase.