ORLEN Group has obtained the final decision of the Minister of Infrastructure to grant five new locations for the construction of offshore wind farms. This opens the way for the preparatory phase of the investment to begin. According to the plans, ORLEN Group’s next five offshore farms will have a capacity of about 5.2 GW, which will allow the production of clean energy sufficient to power about 8 million households.
– ORLEN Group is consolidating its position as a leader in the development of offshore wind farm projects in Poland. Thanks to our experience from the Baltic Power project, we are prepared to quickly and efficiently carry out work on preparations for the construction of five more offshore investments. We are operating on schedule, ahead of other investors who have started offshore work even before us. As planned, we will commission the first wind farm in the Polish part of the Baltic Sea. The following investments are key to ensuring the competitiveness and development of the Polish economy based on modern energy sources. Their implementation will be another step towards increasing Poland’s energy security and achieving the ORLEN Group’s strategic goals of 9 GW of installed capacity in renewable energy sources by the end of the decade – says Daniel Obajtek, ORLEN CEO.
Four of the five concessions granted to ORLEN Group are located on the Odrzanska Bank, at the level of Kolobrzeg. The fifth site is located on Slupsk Bank. This area borders the site of the Baltic Power wind farm, which ORLEN is building together with Canadian partner Northland Power. It is currently the most advanced offshore wind farm project in Poland. The farm, with a capacity of 1.2 GW, will start producing electricity as early as in 2026.
The final decision to grant the license means that the ORLEN Group will be able to start work on preparing projects for five new wind farms. The first order of business will include wind measurements, preliminary geotechnical and environmental surveys, necessary for administrative and design processes. There, the corporation will make use of the experience gained from analogous work on the Baltic Power project.
Offshore wind energy is one of the main directions of modern energy development in ORLEN Group. In addition to the Baltic Power project, ORLEN Group is also implementing the construction of Poland’s first offshore wind farm installation terminal. The investment, which is being carried out by ORLEN Neptun, is being built in the port of Swinoujscie and will be one of the most modern terminals in Europe when completed in 2025. Its wharves and storage yards will allow for the transportation and installation of state-of-the-art wind turbines of 15 MW and larger. The terminal will first serve the Baltic Power project, then support the implementation of other developers’ projects and ORLEN Group’s subsequent investments in the Baltic Sea.
Source: Orlen Group
