The year 2022 was full of events that are permanently changing the conditions for the offshore wind industry. We asked industry leaders and key policy-makers for their assessment of what has been achieved in the past year and what the forecasts are for 2023. In today’s interview of the „Baltic Sea Offshore Wind – 2022 Summary & 2023 Outlook” series, we present the opinion of Dariusz Lociński, CEO of PGE Baltica. 

2022 Summary
1) From my perspective the most important developments for the offshore wind industry in 2022 are the upcoming amendments to the offshore regulations relating to the financing of the projects. They have been strongly voiced by the industry and we are glad that this voice has been heard by the decision makers and have translated into legislative path. Together with decisions on individual level of support that our projects have been confirmed with we can await a significant improvement of investment conditions in the offshore wind sector especially needed in the times of energy crisis and unfavorable macroeconomic conditions.

2) Our main achievements in 2022. We have been granted the environment decision for the connection infrastructure of Baltica 2 and Baltica 3 stages, which together constitute the Baltica Offshore Wind Farm, the largest offshore project currently under development in the Polish waters of the Baltic Sea – the project PGE carries out together with Ørsted. This important permit allows us to move forward with the projects and continue working on the technical documentation necessary to receive the building permits. We have also obtained the decisions regarding the level of individual support we have applied for Baltica 2 and Baltica 3, both on the level of European Commission and the Polish Energy Regulatory Office.

From my perspective securing the land plot in Ustka harbour necessary to develop an O&M base for our future offshore wind projects was significant step forward for us. Within the next four years we intend to build service infrastructure there and also develop the Offshore Wind Energy Competence Center that will be a hub connecting the research environment with the offshore wind sector. We have already created a backbone of a network of such cooperation together with universities and research institutions that want to work with us for the sake of evolution of the offshore wind industry in Poland.
As for our other projects in 2022 we have commenced the wind measurement campaign as well as environmental surveys for the Baltica 1 which is set for launch after 2030 with capacity of about 0.9 GW.


2023 Outlook
3) An important challenge for offshore wind developments in 2023 in Poland will be speeding up the process of preparations for developing of the installation terminal in Gdańsk. This is the crucial facility if the first phase projects in the Polish offshore wind program are to be developed on time. The schedule for developing of the terminal is very tight, but given the will and attention of decision makers we hope this project will succeed, and there will not be a need of making use of foreign facilities.

4) In 2023, together with our Danish partner – Ørsted – we will focus on particularly carrying out all the procurement tenders swiftly to stick to schedule of our projects. We will apply for the necessary building permits in order to be ready to start the construction works. PGE is also impatiently awaiting the decisions on distributing new location permits among investors. We have specific plans to develop all of the areas we are applying for, taking advantage of synergies with the projects already underway, and can’t wait to be able to start working on further projects in line with the offshore wind strategy of the PGE Group. We are committed to deliver the projects that will positively affect the energy transition in Poland and allow for strengthening the energy security of the country.