Ignitis brings Latvia’s 174 MW Tume solar park into operation: a €106 million investment

Ignitis Renewables, the renewable energy company of Lithuania’s state-owned Ignitis energy group, announced on Friday, 6 November, that the Tume solar park in Tukums municipality, western Latvia, has reached full commercial operation. The start-up was also reported to the Nasdaq Vilnius stock exchange, according to the BNS news agency.

The numbers. The park has an installed capacity of 174 MW (173.6 MW according to BNS), covers 302 hectares and has more than 282,000 solar panels. The investment amounts to €106 million. Annual output should cover the consumption of about 85,000 households, and the Latvian business paper Dienas Bizness calls it one of the largest solar parks in the Baltic states.

What is new. Tume is Ignitis Renewables’ first project with panels mounted on trackers that follow the sun during the day, and the company’s first renewable park maintained mainly by its own specialists. Chief executive Frank Oomen described the start-up as “another important milestone” in delivering the green capacity portfolio and said building expertise within the team allows assets to be managed more effectively.

Background. Tume is Ignitis Renewables’ third solar project in Latvia, after the Vārme park in Kuldīga municipality (94 MW) and the two Stelpe parks in Bauska municipality, each of 72.5 MW. The company says it has invested more than €500,000 in community initiatives in Latvia over the past two years, including more than €50,000 last year in four projects in Tukums.

What comes next. A 107 MW / 215 MWh battery energy storage system is being built next to the park and will share its grid connection and infrastructure. According to the Ignitis group, the battery investment is about €35 million, and commercial operation is estimated for 2028.

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