The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a Polish support measure of approximately €194 million (PLN 900.45 million) for the construction of an offshore wind terminal in the seaportof Gdańsk. The new terminal will serve as installation terminal to build offshore wind farms.

The beneficiary of the measure is Istrana Sp. z o.o. (‘Istrana‘) which will build the terminal. The aid will take the form of a direct grant and will be funded through the Recovery and Resilience Facility (‘RRF’).

The planned investment meets Poland’s strategy for the development of offshore wind farms of a total installed capacity of 11 GW by 2040 (5.9 GW should be built by 2030). The new terminal will handle the installation of the main components for offshore wind farms with a capacity of maximum 5 GW.

The total investment cost of the project is €253 million (PLN 1,178 million) out of which the state support will be €194 million (PLN 900,45 million). The remaining part will be financed by the beneficiary’s own funds.

The terminal is expected to be operational in 2026 and will be operated undera lease between Istrana and the port authority ZMPG until 2055.

The Commission assessed the measure under EU State aid rules, in particular Article 107(3)(c) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which allows Member States to support the development of certain economic activities under certain conditions. The Commission found that the measure is necessary and appropriate to achieve the objective pursued, namely the development of offshore wind projects, which bring economic, environmental, social and energy security benefits. The new terminal is alsoexpected to make a significant contribution to the region in terms of job creation, in segments directly or indirectly related to the wind farm industry. Furthermore, the Commission found that the measure is proportionate, as it is limited to the minimum necessary, and will have a limited impact on competition and trade between Member States.

On this basis, the Commission approved the Polish measure under EU Stateaid rules.

Source: European Commission