PGE Baltica – a PGE Group company with the largest portfolio of offshore wind energy projects in Poland – has signed a letter of intent with CRIST, its special purpose vehicle WIKE, and the Baltic Industrial Group to cooperate in the design and construction of installation and service vessels for offshore wind farms. This way, the signatories are taking steps to develop a local supply chain for the offshore wind industry in Poland. 

“Both investors, future operators of offshore wind farms, as well as suppliers and subcontractors, want as many Polish companies as possible to participate actively and extensively in the supply chain for offshore wind energy in Poland. In order to achieve a mutually satisfactory level of involvement of the Polish industry in the construction of offshore wind farms and thus create an appropriate value chain, we need to act together and on a long-term basis,” commented Dariusz Marzec, CEO of PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna.

“Within the PGE Group, PGE Baltica is the competence base for the development, construction and operation of offshore wind farms. We are not considering capital involvement in the construction of the installation fleet, as we are not and will not be the shipowner. However, we want to share our technical and subject matter expertise, which can be used by partners in the process of developing and implementing the concept of building specialist fleet with our next offshore wind farm projects in mind and the needs related to them,” added Piotr Dziubałtowski, PGE Baltica’s Vice-President for Operations.

The CRIST S.A. shipyard is the only one in Europe to have so far built three offshore wind farm installation vessels and more than a dozen service vessels for offshore wind farms. It is currently constructing a state-of-the-art cable ship and several offshore wind farm service vessels for foreign contractors. According to the letter of intent, CRIST, WIKE and the Baltic Industrial Group, which is part of the state-owned Industrial Development Agency (ARP), have declared their participation in tender proceedings for the chartering of installation and service vessels needed to carry out further PGE Group projects planned offshore in the future. Possible contracts, including booking agreements, will be concluded on the basis of purchasing regulations specific to each project.

“We are actively involved in the development of the offshore wind industry, also in Poland. Our subsidiary CRIST Offshore was the first company in Poland to sign a contract for the design and construction of a ‘turnkey’ transformer station for the first phase of Polish wind farms. Thanks to this contract, we have entered the level of so-called Tier 1 suppliers. We also believe that we will build a jack-up vessel for Polish wind farms. Of course, I am referring to the second phase of the offshore wind energy in Poland, and time is moving fast and we need to take urgent project actions. We are very pleased that PGE has decided to initiate a technical dialogue regarding the increase of the so-called local content,” said Ireneusz Ćwirko, President of the Management Board of CRIST S.A.

“WIKE has a chance to become the Polish operator of a jack-up vessel built in a Polish shipyard and intended for the construction and servicing of offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea. Our aim is to bring about the construction and future operation of the unit,” said Wojciech Kąkol, CEO of WIKE S.A.

“The signing of the letter of intent is another step towards strengthening our participation in local content for the offshore wind sector in Poland. The Baltic Industrial Group has the experience, resources and competence to implement complex shipbuilding and offshore projects, including the supply of ship sections and blocks and equipping vessels with piping, electrical systems, structures and deck equipment such as offshore cranes. Currently, we are implementing, among others, projects to equip the decks of installation vessels with advanced offshore cranes, confirming our willingness to actively support this initiative,” commented Adam Kowalski, CEO of the Baltic Industrial Group. 

Source: PGE