ORLEN Neptun, a company belonging to the ORLEN Group, has launched an installation terminal for offshore wind farms in Świnoujście. It is the first facility of its kind in Poland and one of the most modern in Europe, which will be a key base for the company to implement its second phase wind projects. The terminal will also be used by external operators. ORLEN Neptun signed its first long-term contract with the Spanish-French consortium Ocean Winds, one of the largest offshore energy developers in the world. The terminal in Świnoujście will ultimately enable the installation of several dozen wind turbines per year, becoming the most important offshore wind installation center in the Baltic Sea region.
– The installation terminal in Świnoujście is our next pioneering offshore wind investment in Poland. We are building a new, promising branch of the economy. Offshore wind energy will not only power households, transport, and businesses with clean and stable energy, but will also enable the development of new areas of industry. It is from our base in Świnoujście that we will carry out further offshore projects, in which Polish capital will account for nearly half of the investment. We have already signed a contract with one of the world leaders, Ocean Winds, as well as agreements that will allow us to use the existing infrastructure to store wind turbine components. Our investment is a great development opportunity for the entire region and Polish companies serving offshore wind energy – says Ireneusz Fąfara, President of the Management Board of ORLEN.
The terminal in Świnoujście will ultimately employ several dozen people. It has been designed to accommodate the largest ships – jack-up and heavy-lift vessels – intended for offshore wind farm projects with turbines of approximately 15 MW. The terminal enables the unloading, loading, and storage of components used in the construction of wind farms, including monopile foundations, towers, blades, nacelles, and components used for farm cabling. In addition, the terminal’s infrastructure allows it to accommodate offshore transformer station superstructures weighing up to 24,000 tons.
The location of the installation port in Świnoujście provides convenient rail, ferry, air, and road access. In addition, its inland location guarantees optimal weather conditions during the operation of the investment. The terminal in Świnoujście will primarily be used for the installation of components for the ORLEN Group’s offshore wind farms – Baltic East and subsequent investments. The facility will also be available to other operators carrying out investments in German, Swedish, and Danish waters.
– The high parameters of our terminal make it attractive to European offshore wind farm operators. In the coming years, it will be one of the few installation ports in the region to serve projects using wind turbines with a capacity of approximately 15 MW. There is already considerable interest in our investment – as we open the terminal, we are also signing the first long-term lease agreement with one of the world’s largest offshore energy developers – says Janusz Bil, President of the Management Board of ORLEN Neptun.
The agreement concluded by ORLEN Neptun with the Spanish-French consortium Ocean Winds provides for the lease of almost the entire terminal area. It will be used for the implementation of the BC-Wind offshore wind farm project, located approximately 150 nautical miles, or about 228 kilometers, from the port of Świnoujście.
The terminal will be used for the delivery, storage, and preliminary preparation of foundations, which will then be transported to the installation site. Świnoujście will also be the site for loading components onto specialized installation vessels. Transshipment and port services will be provided by local companies with international experience.
– We are delighted to have established cooperation and chosen the port of Świnoujście as a key link in the implementation of the BC-Wind offshore wind farm. It is a modern infrastructure that fully meets our technical and scheduling requirements. The BC-Wind project is Ocean Winds’ first project developed in the Baltic Sea and an example of the real involvement of the domestic supply chain in our investments. We are committed to building value together with our Polish partners and strengthening the competence of the domestic market in the field of offshore wind energy – says Kacper Kostrzewa, Managing Director of Ocean Winds Polska.
The launch of the installation terminal in Świnoujście is part of the ORLEN2035 strategy, which assumes dynamic development of renewable energy. Over the next 10 years, the ORLEN Group plans to achieve 12.8 GW of installed capacity in renewable energy sources, including approximately 6.4 GW from offshore wind farms.
More information: https://swinoujscieoffshoreterminal.pl/pl
Source: ORLEN Neptun
