As a result of the first offshore wind auction in Poland’s history, the Baltica 9 project has secured a two sided Contract for Difference (CfD). At the same time, PGE has signed a conditional agreement with RWE for the acquisition of RWE Offshore Wind Poland sp. z o.o., which holds the FEW Baltic II project with a capacity of approximately 350 MW located adjacent to Baltica 9. This will enable the development of an offshore wind farm with a total capacity of around 1.3 GW, supporting the Group in achieving the offshore wind objectives set out in its corporate strategy.
The conclusion of Poland’s first ever offshore wind auction represents a breakthrough moment for the development of offshore wind energy in the Polish part of the Baltic Sea. The auction ended successfully, ensuring project continuity and providing stability for the development of local content, said Dariusz Lubera, President of the Management Board of PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna. The combination of Baltica 9 and the FEW Baltic II project, and thus the implementation of a wind project with a total capacity of 1.3 GW, will allow us to achieve high cost efficiency and, as a result, the lowest possible electricity prices for consumers, President Lubera added.
The past year has been extremely intensive. It was a period of deep revision and optimisation of the technical and economic assumptions of the PGE Baltica projects, as well as defining the optimal strategy for participation in the auction. Our key objective was to offer the lowest possible cost of energy for society and the economy, while maintaining solid economic foundations necessary for the safe delivery of the project in the coming years. It was also a time of parallel work streams. On the one hand, the acquisition of RWE assets, and on the other, the organic and intensive development of Baltica 9, including geophysical and geotechnical survey campaigns. At the same time, we were also preparing the Baltica 1 project for the auction, said Bartosz Fedurek, CEOof PGE Baltica.
The Baltica 9 project, with a capacity of 975 MW, is located in the western part of the Słupsk Bank, within one of the five areas awarded to PGE in 2023 (area 44.E.1). The wind farm will cover an area of approximately 121 square kilometres, located around 48 kilometres from the coast, within the operational range of PGE’s operations and maintenance base in Ustka. The location offers easier construction and operational logistics compared to the Central Bank area, as well as confirmed seabed conditions. The project has obtained preliminary grid connection conditions, and 2D UHRS geophysical surveys have already been completed. The initial geotechnical survey campaign is currently being finalised.
As part of the project preparations, PGE acquired RWE’s Polish offshore assets, including the environmental decision for area 44.E.1, as well as the results of wind, meteorological and oceanographic measurement campaigns. This enabled the acceleration of the Baltica 9 project by several years. In addition, PGE signed a conditional agreement with RWE for the acquisition of RWE Offshore Wind Poland sp. z o.o., which holds the FEW Baltic II project secured with a Contract for Difference under the first phase of offshore development, with a capacity of approximately 350 MW and a high level of project maturity. Located next to Baltica 9, the two projects together will form the Baltica 9+ offshore wind development, CEO Fedurek added.
