In a ceremony symbolizing a watershed moment in European energy security, the Baltic Sea Offshore Wind Summit 2025 was inaugurated with the presentation of the first-ever “Baltic Wind Award.” The award honors the historic integration of the Baltic States into the European electricity grid, severing long-standing ties with the Russian and Belarusian grids. Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland and the European Commission were jointly recognized for this strategic achievement. Representatives of the four Baltic states received the award on stage.
The summit, held at the European Solidarity Center in Gdansk, brought together decision-makers, industry leaders and experts to discuss Cooperation in the Baltic Region to unlock the huge potential of offshore wind energy. The program, designed to foster regional coordination, addressed key issues including energy security, infrastructure development, technological innovation and workforce development.
A video of a speech by Dan Jørgensen, EU Energy Commissioner, was a key part of the opening ceremony. He praised the synchronization as a “historic event for the European Union” and mentioned his personal participation in the celebration of “energy independence day” in Vilnius on February 9, 2025.
“This would not have been possible without the strong cooperation of the countries of the Baltic Sea Region and the full political, technical and financial support of the Commission, working together with the Member States to make the Energy Union our common reality,” Commissioner Dan Jørgensen said, highlighting the collective effort that has gone into the project. He pointed to the European Commission’s financial commitment, noting that more than €1.2 billion has been allocated to support grid integration.
Ceremonia Baltic Wind Awards; od lewej: Krzysztof Bulski, Redaktor Zarządzający BalticWind.EU, Jerzy Buzek, Szef Zespołu Doradców polskiej prezydencji w Radzie Unii Europejskiej oraz były Premier RP i przewodniczący Parlamentu Europejskiego, Katrīna Duka-Gulbe, dyrektor wykonawcza Łotewskiego Stowarzyszenia Energetyki Wiatrowej, Miko Haljas, Ambasador Nadzwyczajny i Pełnomocny Republiki Estońskiej w Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, Airidas Daukšas, wiceminister energii Litwy, oraz Giles Dickson, CEO WindEurope
Looking ahead, the commissioner stressed the strategic importance of the Baltic Sea region for the development of offshore wind energy and green hydrogen corridors. He particularly referred to Poland’s ambitious plans to significantly increase its offshore wind power capacity, predicting that by 2040 the country could account for nearly half of the total offshore wind power capacity in the Baltic. In conclusion, Commissioner Jørgensen expressed gratitude for the award and wished the summit participants fruitful deliberations.
The first international summit of the offshore wind industry in the Baltic Sea attracted more than 200 international participants to Gdansk, including leading industry experts in 10 panels and keynote speeches. The event focused on four key pillars: security, infrastructure, supply chain, human resources and innovation.
As highlighted by Krzysztof Bulski, Managing Editor of BalticWind.EU and Host of the Baltic Sea Offshore Wind Summit, “I would like to thank all the partners and participants of today’s summit. The success of this initiative demonstrates the need to intensify dialogue and cooperation among the wind industry in the region. All the more so as the Baltic Sea, next to the North Sea, is becoming a major area for offshore investment in Europe. Therefore, we are already announcing that the second edition of the summit will be held in Brussels this October, and will return to Gdansk in 2026.
