A mixed RES auction for wind and solar energy projects planned for April 2 by RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, will go ahead as scheduled as, being on online procedure, it will not be disrupted by the extraordinary conditions prompted by the coronavirus spread, the authority has announced.

None of the procedure’s nine registered participants have called for the mixed auction to be postponed.

However, investors behind solar energy projects seeking connection terms from distribution network operator DEDDIE/HEDNO will face delays because of the operator’s need to reorganize as a result of the coronavirus impact on its operations.

The operator was already troubled by an accumulation of applications prior to the coronavirus crisis.

RAE, currently understaffed and facing an array of projects, may have trouble preparing on time for separate wind and photovoltaic RES auctions planned for June and July, industry experts have warned.

These sessions will most probably be officially announced after summer and staged at the end of the year, pundits believe. The two auctions must be held within 2020, according to a related ministerial decision.

The supply chain for solar modules and related equipment from China, the world’s dominant supplier, has been severely affected by the coronavirus outbreak in China, adding to the concerns of RES investors.