Heerema Marine Contractors is committed to delivering solutions for clients worldwide. With Heerema Fabrication Group fabricating the required structures, the company is now modifying Thialf’s cranes capable of lifting 14,200 metric tons. In 2022, Heerema will be installing 27 wind turbines for Parkwind’s Arcadis Ost I wind farm in the Baltic Sea using our novel Rotor [...]
Finnish company Metsähallitus has announced that it will soon start testing wind levels at the site in Maalahden Bergö. The measurements will take about two years and the construction of the Korsnäs offshore wind farm will depend on the results. […]
Experts from Finland’s LUT University have mapped the offshore wind energy potential in the Åland Islands for the local authorities. As it turns out, the region has huge potential for offshore wind development. A large wind farm could cover half of Finland’s current electricity production. […]
Swedish media are reporting that Sweden’s largest offshore wind farm may be built in the waters of the Stockholm archipelago. The installation will consist of 253 wind turbines and will be completed in 2032. […]
There are more and more alliances of companies that want to increase their market chances in the development of RES projects on the offshore wind market in Poland. Among them are PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna, Tauron Polska Energia and Enea, which have entered into an agreement on this matter. [...]
On 11 November 2021, the Government approved Finland’s participation in the Interreg Baltic Sea Region programme, an interregional co-operation programme of the European Union. This programme plays a key role in implementing the EU Baltic Sea Strategy. […]
The Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Estonia has announced that the final draft of the Estonian Maritime Spatial Plan has been prepared. The document will be available to the public for a month and will be submitted to the government for adoption at the end of the year. [...]
On BalticWind.EU we reported that Šarūnas Vaitkus, the mayor of the Lithuanian town of Palanga, addressed the state authorities with a letter on concerns about the development of offshore wind farms. Vaitkus was met by representatives of the Lithuanian energy ministry, who came to Palanga. […]
The Presidents of the Baltic States, i.e. Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, met on 15 November in Vilnius and signed the “Baltic Road to Climate Neutrality” Declaration . The document envisages joint action and cooperation of the Baltic States in a number of areas for the benefit of the climate. Among [...]
Lithuania is preparing its regulatory framework for the development of offshore wind in its waters. And new proposed auction rules have recently emerged in the Lithuanian Parliament which will jeopardise the delivery of projects at the lowest cost for society – WindEurope indicates in the press release. […]
The company SEMCO ETP RENEWABLES sp. z o.o. in cooperation with Semco Maritime A/S opens a service centre in the Baltic New Technologies Port in Gdynia. The company will allocate over PLN 8 million for this purpose. The investment will create over 40 new jobs. The project will be implemented [...]
PGE Baltica and the Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IPM PAN) have completed a research project aimed at investigating the effect of blocking wind flow by large offshore wind farms. As a result of the work, an advanced model of air flow through offshore installations [...]
International certification company TÜV SÜD has announced that it has completed the certification of the Kriegers Flak offshore wind farm. The certification was carried out in accordance with the Danish standard BEK 73. […]
To serve the growing global market for sustainable energy solutions and protect profitability in an increasingly challenging global business environment for renewables, Vestas continuously looks for partners that can help mitigate negative impact from the current supply chain challenges and scale business efficiently in the long-term. […]
30 Zealand wind turbine owners visited Port Klintholm on 25 October, where the Danish trade association Wind Denmark held the last of this year’s five regional meetings, which in addition to Port Klintholm were also held in Vejle, Ikast, Vojens and Aalborg. As announced, Port Klintholm will be expanded to [...]
Nordic grid operators Fingrid, Energinet, Statnett and Svenska kraftnät have published the Nordic Grid Development Perspective (NGDP) 2021 report. The study presents a path to a climate-neutral Nordic energy system. The “Climate Neutral Nordics” scenario foresees a doubling of RES capacity by 2040. […]
Baltic Power, the vehicle responsible for the construction of PKN ORLEN and Northland Power’s first offshore wind farm, is arranging another meeting for potential contractors interested to join the supply chain for the project. Its participants will learn about detailed plans for each of the seven ‘installation packages’ making up the project implementation process. [...]
Offshore wind in Poland is picking up steam and NKT is now leading the expansion in the country – the local executive is preparing for the market opportunities emerging in Poland with the green transition, NKT’s announcement reads. […]
50Hertz’s Ostwind 2 project reaches the next milestone. Around 170 kilometres of cable have been laid at sea and on land over the past months to connect two offshore wind farms to the German extra-high voltage grid. Now the last section of the submarine cable is being laid on schedule to complete the second of [...]
DHI Group has announced that it is implementing an innovative solution to reduce the scour of erosion protection systems at the Kriegers Flak offshore wind farm, whose developer is Vattenfall. The investment will reduce these costs by 30 percent. […]
The Baltic electricity transmission system operators (TSO) Elering, AST (JSC “Augstsprieguma tīkls”) and Litgrid entered into an agreement to establish a Baltic Regional Coordination Centre (RCC) based in Tallinn and submitted a corresponding proposal to the competition authorities of the three countries. […]
According to the latest analysis from independent think tank Rystad Energy, offshore wind expenses (CAPEX) are increasingly filling the gap left by investments in the oil and gas sector. By 2030, investments in the offshore wind market could surpass investments in the oil and gas sector in several key markets. [...]
The Offshore Coalition for Energy and Nature (OCEaN) is a coalition of wind farm operators, transmission systems and environmental organizations that provides an open forum for discussion. The German working group presented six recommendations for the nature-friendly development of offshore wind energy. […]
The development of offshore wind energy in EU countries is associated with the need to speed up the issuance of permits for the construction of wind farms. The offshore wind industry has long stressed that the lack of fast and common procedures is one of the main bottlenecks that could prevent ambitious plans for [...]
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) fund plans to invest €100 billion in RES assets by 2030. Investor representatives argue that swift political action is needed to accelerate the pace of RES development and achieve the Paris Agreement targets. This is particularly important in the context of the ongoing COP26 climate summit. [...]
Ørsted Poland and Warsaw University of Technology signed a Letter of Intent on cooperation. The aim of the agreement is to educate future personnel for the offshore wind energy sector, and in the future – also to create a scholarship programme for the most promising students studying in this field. […]
Iberdrola remains committed to the deployment of renewables in international markets. Its third offshore wind project in the Baltic Sea, Windanker, will have 300 MW installed capacity and €800 million total investment. The project will reinforce the company’s Baltic Hub in Germany which also includes the operational Wikinger offshore wind farm (350 MW), and Baltic [...]
DTU Electrical Engineering experts believe that Denmark can gain billions of Danish kroner by implementing smart solutions when building energy islands in the Baltic Sea and North Sea. […]
With an extensive experience in the energy sector, especially in onshore and offshore wind power businesses, Alfonso Faubel became the new Chair of Ignitis Group Supervisory Board. He was elected by the new Supervisory Board of the Group in its first meeting held on 29 October. […]
The Embassy of the Netherlands in Poland informed, that in October a study visit of the Polish offshore wind energy sector representatives took place in the Netherlands. […]
November will be the month to talk about wind energy in Europe. A conference organized by WindEurope, Electric City 2021 will be held in Copenhagen to discuss a new perspective on offshore wind development. It is also an excellent opportunity to discuss the role of the Baltic Sea in the development of the wind sector [...]
RWE Renewables and the University of Gdansk has joined forces to accelerate the development of offshore wind energy, based on education and research. […]
WORLD FORUM OFFSHORE WIND (WFO) published its first White Paper Insurability of Floating Offshore Wind. The report is the result of one year’s worth of monthly discussions between participating WFO members during meetings of WFO’s Floating Offshore Wind Committee on the topic of floating offshore wind insurability. […]
The Baltic Energy Market Interconnection Plan (BEMIP) adopted a new work programme for offshore wind in the Baltic Sea. […]
One of the wind leaders, Spain’s Iberdrola, has summarised its financial results for the first nine months of 2021. Iberdrola has decided to exercise its right of first refusal on one of its wind projects. The 300 MW Windanker offshore wind farm project will be built in the Baltic Sea within the Baltic Hub. [...]
The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has launched the Net-Zero Standard as the world’s only framework and leading standard for aligning corporate net-zero targets with climate science. As part of the launch, Ørsted’s 2040 net-zero full value chain decarbonisation target has now been validated as science-based. […]
The long-awaited climate summit in Glasgow - COP26 - kicked off on October 31. The venue for the meeting of decision-makers from around the world is significant - the UK is the European leader in the development of offshore wind energy, aiming to install 40 GW by 2030. Representatives from the wind sector will also [...]
The investment partners involved in the construction of the Baltica offshore wind farm have started individual negotiations with the European Commission, concerning the determination of an individual price in the differential contract for both stages of the project – Baltica 2 and Baltica 3. PGE and Ørsted expect a decision [...]
Dillinger, a German manufacturer of high-quality heavy plate, has announced that they will invest €56.5 million to expand production of super-heavy plate at Dillinger and to manufacture offshore foundations at Steelwind Nordenham. […]
TÜV Rheinland already agreed on a long-term cooperation with Siemens Gamesa at the beginning of the year for tests on offshore wind turbines in the North Sea and Baltic Sea. With this contract, TÜV Rheinland is intensifying its cooperation with Siemens Gamesa, which has been in place since 2017. […]
Vattenfall and French based CDC Biodiversité, a leading European organization in biodiversity assessments, have started a collaboration to assess Vattenfall’s biodiversity footprint. This is an important step for Vattenfall on the journey to secure a net positive approach for nature by 2030. […]
The Polish Offshore Wind Sector Deal signed on 15 September 2021 is another milestone in the development of this sector in Poland, next to the Act on the Promotion of Electricity Generation in Offshore Wind Farms of December 2020. This article is part of a series of comments on the main challenges to be met [...]
The Swedish government announced in October that electricity system operator Svenska Kraftnät would be tasked with developing the offshore transmission grid in connection with plans to develop offshore wind power. Lina Kinning, offshore energy and European policy expert at the Swedish Wind Energy Association (SWEA), in a commentary for BalticWind.EU [...]
The Polish Offshore Wind Sector Deal signed on 15 September 2021 is another milestone in the development of this sector in Poland, next to the Act on the Promotion of Electricity Generation in Offshore Wind Farms of December 2020. This article is part of a series of comments on the main challenges to be [...]
Baltic Power intends to conduct and invites interested parties to participate in a Request for Information (RFI) for the services to be provided by Marine Warranty Surveyor (MWS) for the project. The services will be provided for the construction period of the offshore wind farm, which is planned to be [...]
The seas are the heart of the shipping sector. The development of offshore wind farms may lead to even more users in maritime areas. We ask the Swedish Transport Agency (Transportstyrelsen) how offshore wind development can affect the shipping sector. […]
On October 4, zero-carbon solutions provider Enersense acquired all shares of Pori Offshore Constructions, a company with extensive know-how in the offshore wind sector. This was a major factor in the investment decision. […]
The Estonian TSO Elering AS and the Latvian TSO Augstsprieguma tīkls (AST) are developing a business case, investigating the possibilities to invest in an offshore grid. In order to evaluate the business cases of future projects, an offshore grid technology catalogue is needed. BLIX Consultancy has been commissioned to perform [...]
Offshore wind energy is one of the important pillars for the implementation of the EU Green Deal. The EC’s offshore RES strategy foresees the integration of 300 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2050. This raises many challenges, in particular in terms of grid development, building new connections and at [...]
The Swedish government announced in October that electricity system operator Svenska Kraftnät would be tasked with expanding the transmission grid in offshore areas in connection with plans to develop offshore wind power. National fishermen were concerned about the announcements. They have issued a letter to the government on this issue. [...]
The European Patent Office (EPO) has confirmed its intention to grant Hexicon a European patent for the company’s floating wind power platform with tilted towers. EPO has also examined a third-party submission, similar to the objection filed against the patent already granted in Sweden, and did not find it relevant, [...]
Estonian media reports that the Ministry of the Environment has approved the environmental impact assessment (EIA) program for the Saare offshore wind farm. The wind power plant, with a capacity of up to 1400 MW, will be installed in the waters off the western side of the island of Saaremaa. The [...]
Investor Cloudberry Clean Energy plans to build the Stenkalles Grund offshore wind farm in the waters of Vänern, Sweden’s largest lake. The company has postponed making a final investment decision until mid-2022. […]
Transmission system operators of Sweden and Finland, Svenska kraftnät and Fingrid, have together applied for Connecting Europe Facility co-funding for the new cross-border interconnector Aurora Line between the northern parts of the countries. […]
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas visited Latvia on 15th October. She met with Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš, with whom she discussed, among other things, on energy security. One of the topics discussed was offshore wind energy. […]
Finnish-Swedish law firm Hannes Snellman will be engaged by Finnish state-owned company Metsähallitus in the Korsnäs offshore wind farm project. […]
On October 21, representatives of Poland’s largest power producer PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna, its subsidiary PGE Baltica and the city of Ustka signed a letter of intent to locate a service port for offshore wind farms in Ustka. […]
Swedish RES developer OX2 has announced that the company is currently applying for Natura 2000 permits for the Galatea-Galene offshore wind farm. The installation will be built in the waters of Kattegat, off the coasts of Falkenberg and Varberg. […]
Latvian transmission system operator Augstsprieguma tīkls AS (AST) has presented an investment plan worth up to €401 million. The operator’s aim until 2030 is to develop the transmission grid in terms of reliable energy supply and to increase integration of more RES sources. […]
Hando Sutter, CEO of Estonian company Eesti Energia, addressed Konkurentsiamet, the Estonian Competition Authority, concerning offshore wind energy development. Sutter doubts that grid operator Elering is treating all market participants equally. […]
Charting a way forward for a healthy Baltic Sea, HELCOM has adopted the updated Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) during the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting 2021 that was held in Lübeck, Germany, on 20 October 2021. […]
On October 15, Lithuania’s energy ministry said that an environmental impact assessment (EIA) programme has been prepared for a wind power plant with a capacity of up to 700 MW. Now the relevant institutions have 10 days to submit comments and proposals. […]
“This is very good news,” comments Stefan Thimm on the EEG surcharge published today for 2022. This will drop to 2022 cents per kilowatt hour (ct / kWh) in 3,723. The federal government had already announced in advance that it would limit the surcharge to 2022 ct./kWh in 6 through [...]
Šarūnas Vaitkus, the Mayor of Palanga, Lithuania, addressed the state authorities with a letter concerning doubts about the development of offshore wind farms. Local politicians are concerned about the negative impact of offshore wind turbines on the landscape as well as recreational and tourism potential. "We strongly disagree!" - Vaitkus stressed in the letter. [...]
As we read on Klaipeda Port website, on 12 October there was a meeting of the port authorities with representatives of RWE Renewables investor. The two sides discussed offshore energy development in the Baltic Sea. […]
A few days ago, the Swedish government announced that it had instructed operator Svenska Kraftnät to begin preparatory work before expanding the offshore transmission grid for offshore wind development. Sweden’s plans have been addressed by the Finnish Wind Power Association, which states in a release that if Finland is late [...]
The way towards a healthy Baltic Sea will be charted during the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting 2021, to be held in Lübeck, Germany, on 20 October 2021, where the HELCOM Ministers and the EU Commissioner for the Environment are planning to adopt the updated Baltic Sea Action Plan. […]
Danish energy islands are set to be one of the landmark projects in Europe. One of them will be built in the Baltic Sea. Ultimately, the infrastructure project will be connected to offshore farms of up to 2 GW. Danish operator Energinet has been ordered by the government to extend its [...]
The Swedish Government plans to contract electricity system operator Svenska Kraftnät to expand the transmission network in the country’s offshore areas. The development of offshore wind power will support Sweden’s efforts to meet its 2040 RES energy production targets. […]
Vestas has decided to install the V236-15 MW offshore prototype wind turbine at the Østerild National test centre for large wind turbines in Western Jutland, Denmark. The installation of the prototype turbine will take place in the second half of 2022 and its first kWh is planned for the fourth [...]
Vice-Minister of Energy of Lithuania Daiva Garbaliauskaitė attended the international conference “Baltic Offshore Wind Transmission” and a study visit to Denmark. During the event in Warsaw, she informed that the Ministry of Energy, together with the grid operator, is holding talks on the possibility of building a second offshore wind [...]
ZE PAK, Poland’s largest privately owned energy producer who is currently implementing a shift from coal to renewables, and Ørsted, global leader in offshore wind with 30 years of experience, have signed a letter of intent to participate in the upcoming auction for seabed leases in the Polish part of [...]
Vattenfall has set ambitious targets in how to deal with wind turbine blades at end of life. An immediate commitment to a landfill ban on decommissioned wind turbine blades has been made. The next decade there will be an intense work increasing the recycling rate of wind blade components. […]
Fugro has secured a contract with Energinet to provide floating wind lidar measurements for what will be the world’s first offshore artificial energy island, which is being constructed for the Danish Government. Fugro will install and operate four SEAWATCH wind lidar buoys at two locations, Energioe Nordsoen and Energioe Baltic, that will act as [...]
Nordic company Cloudberry is planning to strengthen its business portfolio in the area of offshore wind energy. The target of the independent developer is the Baltic Sea. The Nordic renewable energy producer has hired Charlotte Bergqvist, who will assist Cloudberry in exploring investment opportunities. Cloudberry is an Oslo-based company active in the renewable energy market [...]
On October 8 a ceremonial meeting of the Polish government and the PKN Orlen company with representatives of the Lithuanian government was held in Mažeikiai, Lithuania. A new investment of Orlen in the form of deep crude oil processing in the refinery was announced. On the occasion of the meeting the representatives of both sides [...]
The Danish Energy Agency has launched an analysis of alternative areas for the Hesselø offshore wind farm, which will be built as part of the 2018 Danish Energy Agreement. Preliminary studies of the seabed have shown that the originally assumed area has a soft clay bottom. If the seabed is found to be completely [...]
Lithuanian electricity system operator, Litgrid, announced that the board of directors has approved the strategy for the development of the electricity transmission system. The plan is to evolve this strategic organization and integrate 4.9 GW of installed RES, including offshore wind, into the system. […]
Finnish company Metsähallitus has announced that the developer of the Korsnäs wind farm will hold its first meetings with local residents in early December 2021. This will be the second offshore wind farm operating in Finland. The local dialogue with residents is about the offshore wind farm that will be installed near the municipality [...]
SPONSORED CONTENT On 11-12 October 2021, the international offshore wind industry conference "2nd edition Baltic Offshore Wind Transmission" will be held in Warsaw, Poland. During this event, BalticWind.EU will host debates with representatives from offshore wind investors as well as ENTSO-E. This is an excellent opportunity to examine grid infrastructure development plans for offshore [...]
German electricity system operator 50Hertz announced that it has received the final, long-awaited approval for its Ostwind 2 infrastructure project in mid-September 2021. The operator received the decision for a 700-meter cable section connecting the Arcadis Ost 1 transformer platform. Ostwind 2 is a project by German operator 50Hertz designed to connect the Arcadis Ost [...]
September 6 proved to be a milestone for the Baltic Sea as the 604 MW Kriegers Flak offshore wind farm project was officially inaugurated. German steelmaker Dillinger boasted that it was the company that supplied the 45,000 tons of heavy plate needed for the monopiles used in the Kriegers Flak project. The popular Kriegers [...]
Estonian energy company Eesti Energia has announced that work has begun on the environmental impact assessment of the Liivi offshore wind farm, which will be built in the waters of the Gulf of Riga. A consulting firm Skepast&Puhkim is responsible for preparing the assessment. The Liivi offshore wind farm will be located about 10 km [...]
BirdLife International, a global federation of organizations dedicated to the conservation of wild bird species, has prepared a complex study on the impact of offshore wind farms on bird populations in the Baltic and North Seas. The key is marine spatial planning, based on scientific research and expert knowledge. The report „Impact of offshore [...]
Leading renewable energy developer Green Investment Group (GIG), has acquired the rights to the Kattegatt offshore wind farm, located off the coast of Falkenberg Municipality in the Halland region of Sweden. Green Investment Group, owned by investment giant Macquarie, has acquired the rights to the Kattegatt offshore wind farm from investor Agrivind AB. The [...]
Danish wind industry tycoon Ørsted has plans to build a 1.5 GW Skåne offshore wind farm. It has already completed an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the project - documents are awaiting approval. The Skåne offshore wind farm will be located about 22 kilometers south of Skåne. The electricity will be able to cover [...]
BalticWind.EU was an institutional patron of the 7th Energy Congress organised by the think-tank DISE Energy. Our representative, Managing Director Paweł Wróbel, together with industry representatives and experts from the offshore wind sector, discussed the development of offshore wind energy in Poland. They all agreed that the road to the planned 11 GW is [...]
Danish wind energy association Wind Denmark presented a series of proposals to accelerate the expansion of wind and solar power at the Vindtræf 2021 industry conference. Denmark needs huge amounts of energy from RES to meet its growing electricity demand by 2030. "Wind Denmark estimates that 70-110 billion kWh of electricity will be needed in [...]
The time for offshore wind farms is approaching in Finland – say experts at Helsinki-based law firm Castrén & Snellman. In Finland, there are plans to accelerate the construction of offshore wind farms, among others by reducing the property tax rate. […]
The German OFFSHORE-WINDENERGIE foundation has prepared an analysis of the demand and potential for the production of green hydrogen in combination with offshore wind energy in Germany. Calculations show that based on the new maritime spatial development plan, more than 60 GW of offshore capacity can be installed if all [...]
The developer Kustvind plans to build the Sydkustens wind farm in the waters of the Baltic Sea, 8-15 km from the coast in the territorial sea within the municipalities of Skurup and Trelleborg. Local authorities object to the offshore farm. According to the Swedish media, the investor will have to [...]
On 15 September 2021 Poland signed its first Offshore Wind Sector Deal. This Government-industry collaboration aims to establish a leading offshore wind industry in Poland. Under the Sector Deal the industry commits to the creation of up to 60,000 direct and indirect jobs in Poland’s wind industry by 2040. The [...]
Denmark needs renewable energy generated from two energy islands linked to offshore wind farms to achieve its ambitious climate goals by 2030. The company Ramboll will assess impact of the planned Baltic Sea energy island on the surrounding marine environment. […]
On 16 August WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson spoke at the kick-off meeting of the ELWIND project, the joint Estonia/Latvia project to develop a hybrid offshore wind farm in the Gulf of Riga. Dickson gave an introduction about offshore wind developments in Europe and shared the experience of past and existing [...]
In 2020, the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) recorded the lowest levels of underwater noise in the German part of the Baltic Sea since measurements began in 2013. […]
The study “Baltic Sea Climate Change Fact Sheet 2021” presents the latest scientific knowledge on climate change in the Baltic Sea region. Changing climatic conditions have an impact on the Baltic ecosystem, which should be of interest to the offshore wind energy industry. […]
The Federal Ministry of the Interior, Construction and Interior (BMI) announced that on September 1, 2021, the site development plan for the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea has entered into force. It defines an area for offshore farms with a total capacity of [...]
A consortium comprising Pekao Investment Banking and Green Giraffe has been mandated as financial advisor for the offshore wind farm project Baltic Power. The two companies will be responsible for raising funding for the project, which is due to start in 2023, with commercial operation planned in 2026. […]
In June, we informed that the Norwegian seismic research company Green Energy Group (SeaBird Exploration Plc) will execute its first contract in the offshore wind energy sector. The contract covers the charter of the Petrel Explorer vessel, that is, a floating hotel. The company announced another contract extension. […]
The Estonian Ministry of Economy and Communications announced the selection of a contractor for a preliminary feasibility study for the ELWIND offshore wind farm project. Hendrikson & KO and Pondera Consult will take on the challenges. […]