Hungary has launched a tender for 702 MVA of grid connection capacity reserved for new wind projects. The allocation is intended to reopen access to grid capacity after a period in which wind development remained largely frozen while solar capacity expanded.
Energy regulator MEKH is offering the capacity at nine network nodes across six districts. Applications are due by Oct. 30, with awards expected by Dec. 13. The earliest possible connection date is Sept. 30, 2030, and successful projects are required to complete connections by September 2032.
Tender design and connection timeline
The tender is framed against Hungary’s recent build-out of photovoltaic capacity, while wind development has been limited by regulatory and siting restrictions. This has contributed to a renewable generation mix that is increasingly weighted toward solar. The market impact is linked to how solar output aligns with daylight demand patterns.
Solar generation has supported lower daytime wholesale prices but has also widened differences between midday and evening power values. Wind output can be less concentrated around daylight hours, which may affect the shape of generation across the day. The tender therefore allocates value to grid capacity rather than specifying generation technology.
Grid access as the limiting factor
The tender reflects a broader shift in renewable investment across Central and Southeast Europe, where grid access is increasingly described as the main constraint on new projects. Hungary’s network operator is expected to integrate rapidly growing solar generation, planned battery systems, industrial demand and future wind while maintaining stability around a nuclear-heavy baseload system. In this context, the allocation attaches directly to scarce network capacity.
Conditions for developers are expected to include requirements related to brownfield development, local-community obligations and shared grid infrastructure. Some elements of the scoring also favour storage and European-sourced equipment. This could encourage wind projects to incorporate batteries from the development stage rather than treating storage as a later addition.
Evening scarcity and market signals
Hungary’s electricity system is particularly exposed to evening scarcity, according to recent day-ahead trading patterns. Those trades have shown low or moderate midday prices followed by evening peaks above €250/MWh. Solar generation can cover substantial daytime demand but falls rapidly after sunset.
The tender’s wind focus is linked to the potential for a different production profile that could reduce the midday-to-evening imbalance, particularly during autumn and winter when solar availability is lower. However, the 702 MVA programme is not expected to address short-term supply tightness because projects cannot connect before 2030.
Broader system build-out alongside Paks expansion plans
The tender also signals how Hungary expects its generation mix to evolve during the next decade, including additional battery storage and continued nuclear generation at Paks while preparing the longer-term Paks II project. Wind would add another element of diversification alongside those developments. For developers, the reserved grid capacity creates a route into a market where limited wind activity has kept competition lower than in solar.
Projects still face permitting, financing and equipment risks before reaching construction stages. The significance of the tender for investors is tied to Hungary reserving meaningful grid capacity for wind after years in which renewable expansion was dominated overwhelmingly by solar.
