At the Baltic Power offshore wind farm (a joint project of the ORLEN Group and Northland Power), all 78 transition pieces connecting the foundations to the wind turbines and offshore substations have been installed. At the same time, the installation of wind turbines, as well as export and inter-turbine cables, is proceeding in the offshore installation area located approximately 23 km from the Baltic coast near Łeba and Choczewo.
We have installed all transition pieces—reaching this milestone marks the completion of the main foundation work in our project. This would not have been possible without the years of effort by the teams involved in the design, production, and, in the final stage, the transport and installation of the foundations. It is worth noting that the production of components for the transition elements took place at factories in Żary, Niemodlin, and Łęknica, where steel sourced largely from Polish steel mills was used,” comments Piotr Ostrowski, Project Director and Member of the Management Board at Baltic Power.
📹 Watch the vlog from the transition piece factory in Niemodlin: https://youtu.be/XFlisQcppNM?si=n06DutsRjZByWWMk=
Transition pieces (TPs) connect the foundations (monopiles) to wind turbines and offshore power stations. Each structure is approximately 20 meters long, weighs up to 350 tons, and is custom-made for a specific location. In addition to the main cylindrical structure, they are equipped with gangways used by crew transport vessels to safely lower technicians for service and maintenance work on the turbine, shipboard cranes for the safe transport of tools and parts, as well as internal electrical systems powering the wind turbines.
As part of this phase of the installation campaign, our contractor, Van Oord, utilized a heavy-lift vessel capable of transporting up to four transition pieces in a single voyage, which significantly improved offshore installation efficiency. The vessel is equipped with two cranes with a combined lifting capacity of 2,000 tons, enabling safe and precise handling of large transition pieces during offshore installation. Thanks to its dynamic positioning system, the vessel can maintain an exact position alongside previously installed monopiles without the need for anchors or lifting systems. The installation of large-scale components is a key stage in the construction of offshore wind farms. Handling structures of this size requires highly specialized vessels and lifting equipment capable of maintaining stability and precision at sea. The ability to transport multiple transition pieces and install them in challenging sea conditions helps optimize the vessel’s time at sea and supports the efficient execution of the Baltic Power wind farm,” adds Nick Ingham, Deputy EPCI Director for the Baltic Power project.
📹 Learn more about the process of installing transition pieces at sea: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7341080752626774016
Although all major work related to the foundation package has been completed, the wind farm construction area remains a very active site for offshore operations, as approximately 20 vessels are engaged daily in the installation of wind turbines, offshore export cables, and inter-turbine cables. Preparatory work is also underway for the acceptance and testing of the more than 30 turbines and both offshore substations that have already been installed. Over 80 vessels and 4,500 crew members, technicians, contractors, and Baltic Power team members have participated in the installation campaign, which is scheduled to be completed in the second half of 2026.
Baltic Power is the most advanced offshore wind farm project in Poland and the first to have commenced offshore installations. Once completed, the approximately 1.2 GW offshore wind farm will generate up to 4 TWh of electricity annually, accounting for 3% of the country’s current demand. The farm is located approximately 23 km offshore near Choczewo and Łeba and covers an area of 130 km². Baltic Power is scheduled to be commissioned in the second half of 2026.
Source: BalticPower
