On 23 July, the Ministry for the Environment, Energy and the Regeneration of the Grand Harbour of Malta announced it had received three submissions in the pre-qualification (PQQ) phase of its first public tender for a floating offshore wind concession.

This marks a pivotal step in the island nation’s energy strategy, which seeks to diversify its power mix through offshore renewable projects.

The tender foresees the development of a wind farm with an installed capacity of between 280 and 320 MW, with a reference target of 300 MW, to be located outside territorial waters but within Malta’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

This capacity equates to roughly one-third of the country’s total installed electricity capacity, which currently stands at around 830 MW.

The consortia that submitted their applications are:

• Code Zero Consortium, led by SEP (Malta) Holding Ltd, and including Kornelio Energy 1, M. Demajo Group, and NMK Renewables.
• Atlas Med Wind, led by Italian firm GreenIT SpA, alongside Seatrans Shipping, Central European Advisors, and CI V Transfer Coöperatief.
• MCKEDRIK Sole Member Ltd, a Greece-based company submitting as a sole applicant.

This initial phase does not involve the submission of financial offers. Instead, it evaluates the applicants’ technical capability, prior experience, and financial standing.

Those that qualify will proceed to the next stage, to be conducted as a competitive dialogue scheduled for the first half of 2026.

The project is part of Malta’s National Energy and Climate Plan, which aims for a gradual decarbonisation of the electricity system in line with European climate targets.

The Minister for Energy, Miriam Dalli, stated that the process represents a concrete step towards “a structured and active energy transition.”

According to the terms of the tender, the Maltese state will retain ownership of the offshore substation and export cables, while their operation and maintenance will be the responsibility of the concessionaire.

The interest shown by these three bidders highlights the growing appeal of the central Mediterranean as a floating wind hub, in a context of expanding deepwater technology and emerging offshore markets.

The Maltese process thus becomes a reference case for the deployment of offshore solutions on southern European islands.