The Isle of Man, where up to 20MW of onshore renewables could be tendered for. Image: Jon Wornham.

The Isle of Man is exploring the possibility of opening up a tender for 20MW of onshore renewable energy as part of its plans for 75% renewables by 2030.

The Isle of Man government’s Climate Change Transformation Board is looking to identify individuals or organisations capable of constructing onshore renewable generation or storage solutions that can deliver up to 20MW.

It outlined how solar PV and onshore wind “may represent the most viable development opportunities” although it will also consider any deliverable zero-emission solution.

The Prior Information Notice was first announced in July as the Isle of Man government unveiled its plan for reaching net zero by 2050, with an interim target of 75% of renewables by 2035.

Now, the notice itself has been publishing, shedding more light on the requirements for the potential tender.

Interested parties have until 12 noon on 18 September 2020 to submit expressions of interest, completed questionnaires and their response, however the Board was quick to stress that it was only exploring options at this stage and that the request may or may not progress through to a competitive tender exercise.

To be considered, interested parties must be able to demonstrate previous experience in the successful development of zero-emission generation in the British Isles, as well as demonstrate how an appropriate site for the installation could be identified and secured and describe the proposed route to market for electricity sales, including sales to Manx Utilities –  a Statutory Board of the Isle of Man Government providing utilities – if appropriate, and show experience of network nomination and balancing requirements.

Other factors include:

  • Having the capabilities, capacity and resources to complete the construction of such an installation within 5 years.
  • Having previous experience in negotiations for a zero emissions installation including dealing with key stakeholders.
  • Showing consideration and the appropriateness of combining generation with electricity storage.

A full list and details of how to register interest can be found here.