A company from the ORLEN Group has signed a reservation agreement with a Danish company Cadeler for the transportation and installation of around 70 turbines for the Baltic Power offshore wind farm, a joint project between PKN ORLEN and Northland Power Inc. In the next steps, the company will select suppliers of turbines, foundations, internal and export cables, offshore and onshore substation contractors, as well as service and maintenance of the farm. The investment, which is planned to be completed between 2024 and 2026, involves the construction of a farm with a total generating capacity of up to 1.2 GW.
“Zero-carbon energy is the foundation of ORLEN Group’s long-term development. We already have about 650 MW of installed renewable capacity and we want to dynamically increase this measure. We are applying advanced actions to acquire port locations and establishing partnerships with proven suppliers. We are convinced that the experience gained with the Baltic Power project will enable us to effectively implement further offshore wind power projects”, said Daniel Obajtek, President of the PKN ORLEN Management Board.
“The conclusion of the contract is an important step in the implementation of our procurement strategy to, this year, secure all critical components and services necessary to complete the project on schedule. The booked vessel is one of about fifteen in the world capable of installing the latest generation of turbines”, emphasizes Jaroslaw Broda, a Member of the Board, Baltic Power.
Cadeler specializes in the installation of offshore turbines. Since 2012, they have installed nearly 400 offshore wind turbines and more than 500 foundations, which together produce energy for more than 5.5 million European households. The signed reservation agreement guarantees the availability of a specialized vessel for turbine installation during the construction phase. The proper agreement will be signed after Baltic Power makes its final investment decision.
In June of this year, Baltic Power – as the first among developers in the Polish part of the Baltic Sea – finalized geotechnical studies. Measurements were carried out on a farm area of more than 130 square kilometers and more than 30 kilometers of a cable route that brings energy from sea to land. As part of the ongoing work, a team of several hundred researchers, technicians and operators performed thousands of measurements and soundings. In total, the ships involved in the campaign worked more than 20,000 hours. During this time, several thousand meters of specialized drilling was carried out in the places of planned foundation of elements of the farm infrastructure. Their depth, depending on the place where the research was conducted, reached even several dozen meters.
In addition to the advanced Baltic Power project with a capacity of up to 1.2 GW, ORLEN Group has also applied for eleven licenses with a total estimated potential of more than 10 GW. That power would be able to meet 25% of Poland’s electricity needs. In addition, the corporation is analyzing the possibility of similar investments in the Lithuanian and Latvian areas of the Baltic Sea.
According to Poland’s Energy Policy, between 9 and 11 GW of renewable capacity is to be built in Polish waters by 2040. Investments in ports, carried out with the participation of Polish suppliers, will be a significant boost to the development of the regions and national economy.
