WikimediaGovernment has received three submissions for its inaugural offshore wind farm concession, marking a significant milestone in Malta’s belated push to meet European Union renewable energy targets after years of persistent shortfalls.
On Tuesday, the energy ministry announced that the submission phase for the Preliminary Qualification Questionnaire, launched in December, has concluded with three consortiums expressing interest in developing Malta’s first floating wind farm. The project, with an expected capacity of around 300MW, will be located beyond Malta’s territorial waters within its Exclusive Economic Zone.
Energy minister Miriam Dalli described the development as “an important step forward for the project and a clear signal that the process has truly kicked off.”
The three bidders comprise a mix of Maltese and regional players. Code Zero Consortium is led by SEP (Malta) Holding Ltd, partnering with Kornelio Energy 1 Limited, M. Demajo (Holdings) Limited, and NMK Renewables Limited. Atlas Med Wind brings together Italian firm GreenIT SpA with Seatrans Shipping Ltd, Central European Advisors Limited, and CI V Transfer Coöperatief U.A. The third submission comes from Greek company MCKEDRIK Sole Member Ltd as a sole applicant.
The project represents Malta’s most ambitious renewable energy initiative to date, coming as the country faces mounting pressure from Brussels over its failure to meet climate and energy commitments.
Malta’s push into offshore wind comes as the country seeks to reduce its import dependency and enhance energy security. It has historically relied almost entirely on imported fossil fuels, making the energy transition particularly challenging compared to other EU member states with greater indigenous renewable resources.
The European Commission has repeatedly criticised Malta for lacking a credible roadmap for renewable energy deployment and maintaining fossil fuel subsidies that disincentivise clean energy adoption.
In a nutshell, Malta’s renewable energy struggles stem from unique constraints as the EU’s most densely populated member state. Limited available land has hampered large-scale solar and onshore wind installations, whilst the country has remained heavily dependent on imported fossil fuels. Moreover, deep surrounding waters have made conventional fixed-bottom offshore wind turbines technically challenging and economically unviable.
However, advances in floating offshore wind technology have opened new possibilities for Malta’s wind resources. The government released a National Policy for the Deployment of Offshore Renewable Energy in August 2024, specifically favouring offshore wind farms and identifying strategic zones.
Despite this progress, Malta continues to lag significantly behind its renewable energy targets. Under its National Energy and Climate Plan, the country aims to achieve an 11.5% renewable energy share in gross final energy consumption by 2030, up from current levels of around 8%. The EU has set an overall target of 32% renewable energy by 2030.
In May 2025, the European Commission warned that Malta risks falling short of its 2030 obligations, citing insufficient investment in electric vehicle infrastructure, lagging energy efficiency in buildings, and the absence of industrial decarbonisation strategies. Brussels has also demanded greater transparency regarding Malta’s fossil fuel subsidies and a defined phase-out timeline.
InterConnect Malta CEO Ismail D’Amato emphasised that the offshore wind project represents “an important milestone for Malta’s renewable energy sector” and introduces crucial diversification to the country’s energy portfolio. The successful bidder will handle design, construction, operation and eventual decommissioning of the wind farm, whilst the offshore substation and export cable system will remain government-owned.
The evaluation process is now underway, focusing on verifying compliance, technical experience and financial capability. The contracting authority plans to issue the next stage of the process to qualifying candidates by early next year, with pricing information to be requested only from those who successfully pass the preliminary qualification phase.
