A considerable number of RES auction applications concerning capacities for large-scale photovoltaic projects, to be offered at an upcoming auction on July 2, have been rejected as, in these cases, prospective investors failed to submit, in electronic form, all appropriate support documents as they had done in writing.

The upcoming RES auctions have been split into three categories, one for photovoltaic installations with capacities less than 1 MW, another for photovoltaic installations with capacities of between 1 and 20 MW, and a third auction for wind energy installations between 3 and 50 MW.

The capacity of applications submitted and approved for small-scale photovoltaic installations totaled 91.6 MW and concerns 149 projects. Applications for this sub-category concerning 28 projects with a capacity of 13.9 MW were rejected. A total of 177 applications for 105.5 MW were submitted.

As for the large-scale photovoltaic category, concerning projects between one and 20 MW, a total of just 52.9 MW for eight projects was approved. Applications for a total of 26 projects representing 144 MW were rejected in this category. A total of 34 applications for 197 MW had been submitted.

In the third category, concerning wind energy installations of between 3 and 50 MW, all 14 applications submitted, totaling 308 MW, were approved.

RAE had announced the photovoltaic and wind energy categories would each be offered 300 MW through RES auctions in 2018.

Terms set to ensure bidding competition at the auctions will require applications to oversubscribe amounts to be auctioned by 75 percent. Investors whose applications were rejected have been given a short period to appeal. If there are no changes, then 52.2 MW will be offered in the small-scale photovoltaic category, 30.2 MW in the the large-scale photovoltaic category, and 175.5 MW in the wind energy category.

This means that the remaining amounts – 217.5 MW from the two photovoltaic sub-categories and 124.5 MW from the wind energy category – will be offered through an additional auction towards the end of the year. RAE is expected to make an official announcement on this decision and the date of the additional auction in September.