ORLEN Group’s ORLEN Wind 3 has signed a preliminary agreement with EDP Renewables Polska for the acquisition of two photovoltaic farms located in the Lubuskie and Wielkopolskie voivodeships with a total capacity of 280 MW, as well as a wind farm with a capacity of 26 MW, located in the Łódzkie voivodeship. The contract is worth about PLN 1.15 billion. This is one of the largest transactions in the domestic RES market in recent years in terms of installed capacity. Once the purchase is finalized, ORLEN Group’s renewable generation capacity will increase by almost 30 percent. The farms acquired by the company are among the most modern units and will produce about 400 GWh of energy annually, which is the amount consumed by nearly 182,000 households.
– We declared an acceleration and we are keeping our word. The agreement we signed will allow us to increase our RES portfolio by a total of more than 300 MW. The new capacity represents as much as a third of what ORLEN has built in renewable energy over the past few years. However, it’s not only the scale that’s important to us, but the economic calculus, which in the case of this transaction benefits us and allows us to realistically build the value of the Group. We want to be a key player in the energy transition in Central and Eastern Europe, so we are not stopping and are carefully analyzing further attractive projects appearing on the RES market to take full advantage of all business opportunities, says Ireneusz Fąfara, CEO of ORLEN.
The concluded agreement covers the purchase of two photovoltaic farms. The first is located in the village of Chotków, in Żagań county, Lubuskie voivodeship. It was put into operation in January this year. More than 61,000 photovoltaic panels have been installed on an area of 45 hectares, with a total capacity of 40 MWp. The installation is designed to reduce environmental impact. Raising the fence of the farm to an appropriate height allows small animals to move freely without interfering with their natural migration routes.
The second farm is located on a reclaimed area of a former open-pit lignite mine in the municipality of Przykona, in the Wielkopolskie voivodeship. In its vicinity, the ORLEN Group already has photovoltaic and wind installations with a total capacity of about 57 MW, and more, with capacity of about 68 MW, are under construction. The photovoltaic farm being acquired has a capacity of 200 MW and is currently being expanded by another 40 MW. The work is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year. Once the additional capacity is put into operation, it will be the largest photovoltaic farm in Poland, and ORLEN Group will become its sole owner.
As part of the signed agreement, the company is also taking over the “Warta” onshore wind farm, which was established last May in the Łódzkie voivodeship, west of Sieradz. The farm’s capacity is 26 MW and consists of 13 turbines. The area where the farm is located is characterized by high wind intensity, guaranteeing high utilization of the installed capacity.
– This transaction is the second we have conducted with ORLEN. It underscores the quality of our assets and the sustainability of our asset rotation strategy. We will continue our commitment to further operations in Poland. As one of the largest foreign investors in the country, with more than 1 GW of capacity already developed and installed, which we will increase in the coming months, including the country’s first hybrid wind and solar park, we continue to see Poland as a key market for EDP, stresses Duarte Bello, EDP Renewables’ Chief Operating Officer for Europe.
By the end of 2030, EDP Group aims to reach 9 GW of installed renewable energy capacity. In addition to onshore wind and photovoltaic farms, the corporation is also actively developing offshore wind power. Key components of the Baltic Power investment are being manufactured as part of the latest preparations for offshore installation work planned for the end of this year. Among other things, power stations are being built in Pomerania to receive energy from the turbines and transmit it to land. Other important components of the investment are also being built at factories located in Szczecin, Kluczbork and Żary, among others. The investment, which is being carried out by ORLEN Group together with Canada’s Northland Power, will integrate nearly 1.2 GW of power into the national energy system in 2026. It will flow zero-carbon energy, which will be able to power more than 1.5 million households.
Source: Orlen
