The year 2022 was full of events that are permanently changing the conditions for the offshore wind industry. We asked industry leaders and key policy-makers for their assessment of what has been achieved in the past year and what the forecasts are for 2023. In today’s interview of the „Baltic Sea Offshore Wind – 2022 Summary & 2023 Outlook” series, we present the opinion of Jarosław Broda, Member of the board, Baltic Power.
2022 Summary
1) From my perspective the most important developments for the offshore wind industry in 2022 are…
The year 2022 will be remembered as a watershed year due to the geopolitical situation. The fragility of many business aspects highlighted by the pandemic year 2020 allowed us to build greater resilience to crises in the following years. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the resulting consequences for global supply chains was the biggest challenge facing investors. Paradoxically, the situation poses a double challenge for us as representatives of the zero-carbon energy sector. On the one hand, the acceleration of the shift away from Russian hydrocarbons is evident in the strong turn of European decision-makers towards renewables and their much faster development, and on the other hand, the strong global demand for offshore energy development brings a question to the end of 2022. It’s a question of capacity and efficiency of supply chains that is needed to meet this demand.
2) Our main achievements in 2022 are…
Baltic Power has maintained its projected momentum and, thanks to a consistent schedule, has met all of its milestones. The most important is, of course, the fact that we have secured all contracts for the key components of the farm – their manufacture, transport and installation. Stations, cables, foundations, turbines – in each of these areas we are working with sector leaders. Alongside the technical aspects, we are running very sophisticated corporate processes. Crucial to the dynamics of the project and securing its implementation is the acquisition of financing, which in the case of our project is at an advanced stage.
2023 Outlook
3) An important challenge for offshore wind development in 2023….
The year 2023 will pose similar challenges for the Polish sector as 2022. We are mainly talking about 4 aspects. The first is the stability of supply chains, which are crucial for the timely implementation of projects in Poland under the so-called phase I of development. The second is the development of human resources necessary for further dynamic development of the sector. The third is the necessary development of grid infrastructure that will take offshore generated capacity and ensure a stable energy supply across the country. The fourth is the efficiency of administration in handling an increasing number of offshore issues.
4) In 2023 we will focus in particular on…
2023 will focus in particular on finalising main administrative processes, such as obtaining all necessary construction permits and completing the acquisition of financing for investments. These, and a number of minor activities, will translate into the final investment decision. The year 2023 will also see the first real works related to infrastructure development – in our case, first and foremost, work on shore and the start of component production.
