4C Offshore Empowering Intelligence

Foundation and substation contracts signed for Polish wind farm

4C Offshore | Tom Russell
By: Tom Russell 09/09/2022 ORLEN Group
Developers of the Baltic Power wind farm in Poland have signed contracts for the manufacture, delivery and installation of the offshore substations and foundations.

PKN ORLEN and Northland Power are jointly developing Baltic Power with a total capacity of up to 1.2 GW. Construction is expected to commence in 2023 with commercial operations expected in 2026. Last year, Poland’s Energy Regulatory Office approved a Contract for Difference for the Baltic Power offshore wind farm which was priced PLN 319.60 per MWh for up to 25 years.
The wind farm will be built some 23km off the shore, near Łeba and Choczewo. In June this year, the company completed geotechnical surveys of the seabed in the area of the farm.

Monopile foundations for all infrastructure at the wind farm will be supplied by Steelwind Nordenham. Belgian fabrication company Smulders will be responsible for supplying the transition pieces, to join the foundations with the wind turbine generators. These specialist steel structures will also be partially manufactured at its facilities located in Poland.

The monopiles, weighing up to 2.4 thousand tonnes and 120m in height, will be driven into the seabed, up to a depth of 50m, by specialised vessels. Baltic Power has entrusted the offshore transportation and installation of the foundation components to Van Oord.

The project will feature two substation structures, each 2.5 thousand-tonne, which will be built by Bladt Industries and Semco Maritime. The two firms will be responsible for the engineering, procurement, fabrication and installation of the offshore substations.

In July, the company signed a reservation agreement with Cadeler of Denmark for the transport and installation of some 70 turbines. The agreement guarantees the availability of a specialised vessel for turbine installation during the construction phase. The final agreement will be signed once Baltic Power has made a final investment decision.

By the end of this year, Baltic Power expects to secure contracts for all the main elements of the farm's infrastructure and services necessary to timely start the construction, scheduled for 2024.

“For the ORLEN Group, offshore wind energy is a pillar of the implemented strategy thanks to which we will achieve carbon neutrality. Even though it is a new area of our business, the Baltic Power project is currently the most dynamically developing investment in the Polish part of the Baltic Sea. Entering the key phase of preparations, we are signing contracts for the main components of the farm’s infrastructure necessary to carry out the project. The experience we have gained in building the supply chain for Baltic Power will be leveraged in similar future projects. We are seeking to be awarded a total of 11 licences for the construction of offshore wind farms in Poland, and we will look for opportunities to implement such projects also in the Baltics," said Daniel Obajtek, President of the PKN ORLEN Management Board.

“Securing these supplier contracts mark major project milestones for the Baltic Power project. Leveraging our expertise from already established offshore wind resources in Germany and other parts of Europe, Baltic Power will play a significant role in Poland’s clean energy transition for the long-term. In partnership with PKN Orlen, this is an excellent opportunity for Northland to reinforce our commitment to the European offshore market and to support the establishment of an offshore wind hub in the Baltic Sea. We’re looking forward to continued successes as the project develops further,” said Christian Voelcker, Interim Vice President Offshore Construction of the Northland Power.

“Baltic Power consistently follows its schedule and selects suppliers who can boast not only a great deal of experience, but also a readiness to carry out significant part of the work in Poland. This is a very important aspect for us as an investor, which translates into building a local value chain for the offshore wind sector, because each of these companies are already intensively looking for sub-suppliers in Poland,” commented Jarosław Broda, Member of the Management Board of Baltic Power.


For more information on offshore wind farms worldwide, click here.

Premium

ForeSEE Premium, our most popular subscription, gives you full access to use the ForeSEE WebApp which includes exclusive offshore wind, transmission and vessel reports, news and downloads.

Request a 30 minute Demo

Trending News!