PGE and Ørsted are jointly applying for the 45.E.1 area on Ławica Słupska. This area of 17 sq. km is directly adjacent to Baltica Offshore Wind Farm, the largest offshore wind farm under construction in the Polish Baltic Sea and one of the world’s largest offshore wind farms. The application to the Ministry of Infrastructure was submitted on the 23rd February.
– The location we are applying for, complements the acreage of the Baltica Offshore Wind Farm, the largest offshore wind farm being built in the Polish part of the Baltic Sea. Over the next five years, we will commission the Baltica 2 and Baltica 3 stages with a total capacity of approx. 2.5 GW. Obtaining a permit for an area of approx. 17 sq. km will allow us to achieve synergy with the Baltica 2 project and guarantee maximizing the use of this part of the Baltic Sea, and ultimately will ensure an increase in green electricity production – said Wojciech Dąbrowski, President of the Management Board of PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna.
− Together with PGE, we are applying for a seabed lease area, which is relatively small, but is well located to be added to the already developed acreage of 320 sq. km where we will build the 2.5 GW Baltica Offshore Wind Farm, which will be one of the largest offshore wind farms in our global portfolio – said Rasmus Errboe, Head of Region Continental Europe at Ørsted.
The area covered by the joint application from PGE and Ørsted is located approx. 32 km from the shore.
The first stage of the Baltica Offshore Wind Farm, i.e. Baltica 3 with a capacity of approx. 1045 MW, is planned to become operational in 2026. The next stage, i.e. Baltica 2 with a capacity of approx. 1500 MW, is to be completed by 2027. These investments will contribute to accelerating the Polish energy transformation. Both stages of the OWF Baltica have location permits (PSZW), environmental permits, connection agreements to the transmission network with the operator, and have also received the right to a contract for difference (CfD).
In 2022, the project partners expect to receive the environmental permit for the transmission infrastructure and will also work on obtaining building permits, which would further mature the project towards Final Investment Decision.
There are currently 11 reservoirs available in the Polish part of the Baltic Sea, under which PGE and Ørsted and other entities apply for location permits (PSzW). Among them there are areas with different potential: from the smallest ones, with an area of 17 sq. km, which PGE and Ørsted are currently applying for the expansion of the Baltica OWF, to the largest, covering an area of up to 150 sq. km.
PGE Group’s generation units generate nearly 40 per cent of electricity in Poland. With a 10% share in the RES market in Poland. PGE Group is the largest domestic producer of electricity from renewable sources. The plan for the coming years is to further develop renewable energy sources – in particular based on wind and solar energy. PGE Group’s investment plan includes the largest investments in offshore wind farms in the country. PGE Group’s Offshore Programme assumes the construction of the Baltica Offshore Wind Farm by 2030, implemented in two stages – Baltica 2 and Baltica 3, with a total installed capacity of up to 2.5 GW. Then, after 2030, the Baltica 1 Wind Power Plant will join the Group’s portfolio. In line with PGE Group’s strategy until 2030 with a perspective until 2050. PGE Group will have up to approx. 6.5 GW of capacity in the Polish part of the Baltic Sea.
Ørsted’s vision is a world based solely on renewable energy sources. The Danish-based company is present today on several markets, starting from the United States of America, through European countries, and ending with in Asia. Poland is one of the key markets for Ørsted. Implementation of the Baltica Offshore Wind Farm with a total capacity of up to 2.5 GW in the Polish part of the Baltic Sea is part of the in Ørsted’s recently updated ambition to reach 30 GW in offshore wind by 2030.
