Baltic Power, a joint venture offshore wind project of ORLEN Group and Northland Power, completed the main installation works of all 78 key elements of foundations – monopiles for turbines and offshore substations. Over 20 vessels and 500 crew members and contractor representatives took part in this part of the installation campaign.
Installation of offshore foundations is an enormous challenge; we performed a campaign that was unpreceded in Poland in terms of scope and scale of works. Vessel crews operated precisely with heavy loads, reaching 1300-1700 tons and 100 meters in length. Therefore, multiple operations were a single-attempt work leaving no space for mistakes. Moreover, they were performed in challenging sea and weather conditions. That’s why it is such a noticeable milestone and a moment of pride for all of us – comments Maciej Stryjecki, CEO and the President of the Management Board of Baltic Power.
Installation of monopiles demanded the use of an entire fleet of specialized vessels. Besides the main vessels that performed lifting and pilling works, a fleet of tugboats, crew transfer vessels, environmental monitoring and offshore supply vessels support main operations. The installation area was surrounded by a double bubble curtain to mitigate noise and vibrations released by the main hammer during pilling works.
Many lessons learned, leading to a successful finale – that is the main conclusion of this part of the installation campaign. All monopiles are installed on the seabed. We are finalizing installations of the remaining transition pieces at the moment and making stable progress in installation of 15MW wind turbines. Installation works of offshore cables are our next major task, however this part of the campaign is heavily dependent on weather, as subzero temperatures and severe winter conditions may affect performed operations – adds Jens Poulsen, Senior Project Director and Board Member of Baltic Power.
The status of the construction campaign at the Baltic Power offshore wind farm:
- Monopiles: 78/78 – complete
- Transition pieces: 60/78
- Wind turbines: 30/76
- Offshore substations: 2/2 – complete
- Onshore substation: +90% complete
- Onshore cables: +90% complete
- Offshore export cables: ongoing, 2/4
- Offshore inter-array cables: coming soon
- Service base: complete & operational
Around 80 various types of vessels have been mobilized so far, since the beginning of the installation campaign with over 4500 members of vessel crews, representatives of the contractors and members of Baltic Power team. Around 20 vessels operate on the 130 sq km site every day, coordinated by Baltic Power’s Marine Coordination Center in Łeba. The end of the construction campaign is expected in the 2nd half of 2026.
Baltic Power is the most advanced offshore wind project in Poland and the first to commence offshore installations. Once construction of the ~1,2 GW offshore wind farm is completed, up to 4 TWh of electricity will be generated annually, which stands for 3% of the current national demand. The farm is located approximately 23 km from the shore near Choczewo and Łeba, covering an area of 130 square kilometers. Baltic Power is scheduled to become operational in late 2026.
